Royally Romanced
by Mme La Princesse
Summary: Based off of William and Kate's story. Blaine is the son of the Prince of Wales. He gets the opportunity to attend Julliard and happens to be in a same class with the star-in-waiting Rachel Berry. When they get paired together, what will happen? Raine!
1. Blaine Wales

**Royally Romanced**

_**A/N: So, this is it. It's based off of Lifetime's **_**William and Kate**_** where Blaine is the son of the Prince of Wales going to Julliard with the promising Rachel Berry. Will also feature the others :). Bear with me here, I'm Royally Mad and I really wanna try this!**_

_**ps. I don't claim to own anything but the original characters that may or may not exist throughout the course of Blaine and Rachel's journey.**_

_**Also, the royal characters- like the other characters-are strictly fictional. They may be loosely based off of real life (As in Blaine's grandmother is queen and his father is the prince of Wales, making him 3rd in line and his mother is dead) but I'm changing the people. For example, the way I make Blaine's father is not necessarily the way I see Prince Charles. I also wanna point out that the way I'm going to make Blaine's step mother (Juliana) is certainly not the way I see Camilla. **_

**Chapter 1: Blaine Wales**

"All of Julliard is awaiting the arrival of Prince Blaine of Wales…" Rachel Berry snapped the tv off and looked towards her roommate and best friend, Mercedes Jones. Her neighbors Quinn Fabray and Santana Lopez were also there, watching along.

"Poor guy. You know that the applications for Julliard, NYU and Columbia skyrocketed once the prince announced he was coming here…" Mercedes said. Rachel rolled her eyes.

"It was mostly girls that want to marry him, how pathetic."

"And unrealistic," Quinn added in, "I've known Blaine since we were children, I've gone to his birthday parties for as long as I can remember. The woman he brings home to the queen has to be of the right pedigree."

"Like you?" Mercedes asked. This was the fourth time in the past half hour they had heard this.

"Well, Mercedes, my father is a duke."

"A duke who disowned you after you got pregnant…" Santana finished. Rachel had never been so thankful for Santana's bitchy attitude, "You're only here because your momma moved to New York after she caught him cheating!"

"And what do you have, Lopez? Your ditz of a girlfriend is paying for you to come here!"

"At least I have somebody," Santana snapped back.

"Alright you two, take that into your apartment!" Rachel said. This was going to be a long year, Santana and Quinn knew each other from England and were best friends but ever since they arrived to go to NYU, their relationship had turned sour. Mercedes and Rachel, both from McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio, met the pair during their orientation. At first they were excited to find out that Santana and Quinn would be living next to them, but quickly after moving in they began to dread it.

"Seriously, you guys are killing our move-in buzz factor. Go back to your dorm! Your schedules should be online by now anyways!" Mercedes snapped after the girls continued to argue. They just shrugged and left, though Rachel could still hear them fighting next door.

"I wonder how long it's gonna be until one of them gets kicked out," she remarked, deciding to check her class rosters. The only one she really cared about was her music theatre class and she was excited to see who she would be studying with. One name, however, caused her to gasp.

"What's up white girl?" Mercedes asked.

"Cedes, you're not gonna believe who is on my class list!"

"Who?"

"Prince Blaine of Wales."

"SERIOUSLY?" Mercedes practically pushed Rachel out of the chair to see if the name was still there, and sure enough it was: _Blaine Wales_.

"I have to call Kurt! He'll be so jealous!"

"Poor boy! Now he'll feel even worse about not making it into Julliard!"

"I can't believe it, Cedes! I'm going to be in the presence of royalty twice a week for the next six months!"

* * *

><p>His full title was Prince Blaine Henry Charles Louis of Wales and he was third in line for the throne of England. That really didn't matter to him though, his grandmother seemed to be able to live forever and his father would rule before him. He had at least 20 years before he had to worry about becoming king. That's why, to his friends, he was simply known as Blaine Warbler. It was the name he'd gotten as a member of the Warblers, the Glee Club at his old private school in England.<p>

When his final year approached, his glee teacher suggested applying to Julliard. So he did, with his grandmother's permission. After a few video auditions, Blaine Wales was accepted. While his father might have preferred him going to study business or ruling a country, he was supportive. So was his younger brother, Prince Jacob. He'd imagine his late mother, Margaret of Wales, would be as well if she were alive. He wouldn't know though, she'd died when he was only 10. It just proved to him that even princesses weren't immune from cancer, a lesson that freaked him out completely.

Pushing those thoughts aside, he entered his new private dorm. It had been redone for security purposes but it was a start. At least somewhere in his new crazy world he could have a place for privacy. He was looking around when a note slid under his door. He picked it up, but only glanced for a second. Because then the person knocked, and Blaine let him in.

"I see you got my note," a tall guy said with a smile, "Welcome to New York, Your Highness. I'm Finn Hudson, and this here's Noah Puckerman."

"Call me Puck, Your Highness," the guy next to him, who had a Mohawk, said.

"What can I do for you?" Blaine asked, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

"We want to be your wingmen," Finn answered.

"Wingmen?"

"To be blunt, Your Highness…"

"You can call me Blaine, Puck. There's no need to be so formal."

"Well, Blaine, we know there are plenty of girls around here that would love the chance to be with you. There's no way you can handle them all…"

"So you just want the girls?" Blaine asked in amusement. He should probably be offended, but he found it hilarious.

"In so many words, yes."

"I tell you what, you guys buy me a drink tonight and you can be my wingmen for as long as you want!"

"We have to buy a prince a drink? SERIOUSLY?" Finn exclaimed, in mock rage. Blaine just laughed.

"Here I'm just plain Blaine Wales," he replied. Puck rolled his eyes.

"Tell that to all the girls that waited to meet you!"

"Just come out with us tonight," Finn said, "There will be plenty of girls around and classes don't start till Monday anyways."

"I'll be there. I just remind you, I'm not so much of a ladies' man."

" With your looks," Puck replied, "We should be fine." It was Blaine's turn to roll his eyes, which actually caused Finn to laugh.

"Just be ready tonight, Blaine. We'll show you what New York is all about!"

"Should I fear for my life?"

"Probably."

"I can't wait!"


	2. First Day

**Thanks strawberriesandchocolate and FleurCandy for the reviews! I feel a little self conscious now that there's someone from England reading but I hope everyone loves this story! :)**

Chapter 2: First Day

Early Monday morning, Blaine wasn't sure why he had allowed Finn and Puck to keep him out late the night before. He had to admit, they were a lot of fun and Blaine had even managed to dance with a few girls, none of whom impressed him. He sighed, there was one girl. She was a brunette and she was a little short, but that was all he could remember. He was sure, however, if he saw her he could pick her out. With all the schools around and the popularity of that club, the odds of him seeing her again seemed highly unlikely.

He took a sip of his Starbucks and pressed on, at least his first class was in music theatre. That made it a little better, it wasn't one of his boring standard classes. Ignoring the girls crowding him, he pushed his way into musical theatre with Professor William Schuester (_**A/N: I couldn't resist! LOVE MR. SCHUE! :D)**_. He noticed everyone was already stretching or doing vocal exercises, so he removed his pink sunglasses and began his own warm ups.

* * *

><p>Rachel was red eyed and cranky by the time she made it to the building for her music theatre class. What was more annoying was the flurry of girls, and a few guys, trying to catch a glimpse of the prince.<p>

_"This prince is more trouble than he's worth," _she thought bitterly. Then she sighed, it wasn't his fault she stayed up last night at that damned club, it was her and her dance partner's. Not that she knew who that was, she was too wasted to really remember him. Her dads would kill her if they knew she had been drinking last night, but she could honestly care less. It was her first time at a club, and since the guys wanted to buy her a few drinks, who was she to object? Well, she would next time. The hangover was killer but luckily her excitement for this class canceled the worst of it out.

She walked in, observing the scenery around her. She noticed the prince had already arrived, but she didn't pay too much to that. Instead, she put her bag down and began stretching. She expected today to only be an introduction, but she didn't want to be unprepared. She got into her regular routines and motions to prepare herself and kind of lost track of what was going on around her. She was, however, caught off guard when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around; it was Prince Blaine of Wales.

"Hello," he said, shyly. She sent him a comforting smile, a little amused that the most eligible bachelor in all the world was shy.

"Hey, Your Highness," she replied. He smiled at her.

"So, uh, you were at the Cielo Club last night?" she opened her mouth to speak, but right as she did Professor Schuester walked in. The class sat in a circle at his direction and the prince ended up across from Rachel. She ignored that though, she was so excited that class had finally begun.

"Welcome all of you! You've made it to one of the most prestigious performing arts schools in the country and as such, I am going to hold you to those standards. With that being said, I know you're in college for the first time and want to have fun. I was in your shoes this time about 12 years ago, so I understand the feeling. So for now, I'm going to give you an assignment for this week, we'll get into our play next week. Anyways, look across from you. That person will now be your partner for this week. Congratulations. I want you to go sit with them." Rachel sat still, her partner was Prince Blaine! He did, however, move to her. And he looked ecstatic.

"Hey," he said. She smiled back.

"Okay, people. Your assignment is to find out three facts about your partner, two of which you will share with the class, and their full name. Then you will pick a duet to perform during class on Thursday. It doesn't have to be from a Broadway musical, it just has to sound good. I'm sure a bunch of Julliard students can handle that. Alright, the rest of the class is for you and your partner. If you wanna hook up outside of class, be my guest but for now get working!" Rachel turned to Blaine and smiled.

"Well hey," she said, "Let's get working."

"Okay, but can I ask you a question?"

"That was you I danced with last night, wasn't it? At Cielo."

"I mean... maybe... I don't remember too much from last night. I do remember having a dance partner for the better part of the night."

"It was you, I'm sure of it... What's your name again?"

"Rachel. Rachel Barbra Berry, Your Highness."

"I think after last night you earned the right to call me Blaine." She laughed and nodded. Secretly, she was swooning. That accent was so _hot_!

"Okay Blaine. First off, let me thank you for a great night. But let's get started."

"Alright Rachel. Tell me three things about yourself."

"Hmmm, I aspire to be a star! And I'm a vegan."

"And what can I not share with the class?" She sighed and sat back to think.

"When I was in high school, my ex-boyfriend broke up with me by having his school's glee club, our rivals, make a human omelet out of me. I took five showers but I still thought the momma chicken was gonna get me."

"Seriously? To a vegan? That's just cruel!" she shrugged.

"What about you, Blaine Wales? Your three facts?"

"Well, when I was in school back in England, my friends called me Blaine Warbler."

"Warbler?"

"Yes, I was in the school glee club, known as the Warblers. I kind of prefer it to Blaine Wales."

"You were in glee club?"

"It was an a cappella group, I was kind of lead singer..."

"My glee club won the national championship last year."

"I remember hearing about it. The New Directions, right?"

"Yeah. So what's fact number 2?"

"Well, uh, I'm a huge Harry Potter fan. And as for what you cannot share..." he stopped, this was going to be painful but he had to share it. Not even his father knew but for whatever reason, he wanted to tell her.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, it's just... well, Rachel, ever since my mom died... I've been terrified of getting cancer. I know it was breast cancer so the chances of me getting it are slim... but watching her suffer, I'm terrified of going through with that..." she nodded sympathetically and took his hand.

"One of my dad's cousins died of breast cancer last year. She stayed with us while she underwent therapy. It killed him and my other dad hated to watch both of them suffer like that. So I know what you mean, but I am sorry to hear that. I looked up to your mother, if it makes you feel any better," she replied, quietly. He smiled at her.

"I loved my mother very much, even throughout the worst. She was an extraordinary woman. I still believe that the public eye that was brought upon her when she and my father got engaged, it ruined her. It ruined her marriage. When I get married, I refuse to allow my wife to go through that much..." He stayed silent for a while and Rachel wasn't quite sure what to say.

"Alright guys," Professor Schuester said, "Great first day. I'll see you guys Thursday, I expect nothing but amazing with those duets! Have a good one." Slowly, Rachel forced herself to get up and collect her bag. The prince, surprisingly, joined her out. She could feel the cold glares of the girls that had clearly been waiting for him but she chose to ignore them.

"So we never even thought of a duet..." she said.

"Yeah, I noticed. Well, uh, any thoughts?"

"I don't know. What about you?" Blaine sighed.

"You a fan of Disney?"

"What do you have in mind, Blaine Warbler?"

"Well... You've seen Aladdin, yes?"

"Of course!"

"What if we were to perform A Whole New World?"

"Sure, I like the irony behind it!"

"What do you mean?"

"The commoner singing to the princess..." Blaine chuckled.

"I never even thought of that. So, practice tomorrow? I believe we live in the same building."

"Sure thing. Just make sure that we finish up before noon, I have to pick my boyfriend up from JFK."

"So I'll see you at my apartment at 9:30?"

"Sounds great, see you then!"

**So, who's Rachel's mystery boo? You might not like the answer but don't worry, he won't be around long ;)**


	3. Phone Call

Chapter 3: Phone Call

If you had asked Rachel Berry where she would be at this moment before she came to Julliard, she wouldn't have answered in Prince Blaine of Wales' apartment but here she was, singing Disney songs with him. The more they talked, the more she seemed to like him, but strictly as friends. Besides, Quinn's warnings of how his future girl must have the right pedigree rang in her head. It didn't matter; she had a boyfriend and she loved him. Well, maybe not love, but she did feel strongly for him. He wasn't going to school yet but he was coming to New York to stay with his aunt to be near her. It meant a lot to her that he would do that.

"So do you wanna choreograph this?" Blaine asked. Rachel was about to answer, but paused to check her cell phone first.

"I can't," she answered, "My boyfriend's flight is about to get in, I gotta go pick him up!"

"Oh yeah," he replied, looking away, "Good day, Rachel. Have a good time tonight!"

"Thanks Blaine," she replied, kissing his cheek, "You were good today! I think we'll knock them out on Thursday!" With that, she walked out quickly, rushing to grab a cab. She was so excited, she hadn't seen her man since she left Lima!

Blaine watched her walk out; she was something. Whoever this mystery man was, he sure was lucky. The truth was, Blaine didn't come here for a girlfriend. He didn't plan on marrying until he had too and he didn't want anyone to go through what his mother went through. Not only the cancer, which he couldn't control, but also the media attacks. It destroyed her marriage; few people knew of what really went on before Margaret's diagnosis. The fights for attention, the screams... Blaine loved both of his parents very much but there had been times when he feared both of them, especially his quick tempered father. That all changed when the princess was diagnosed with breast cancer. Despite the pain, Blaine always wondered if those were the happiest days of Margaret's life. The love between them was evident during her final days, though that could have just been a facade. At least his dad waited four years before marrying that woman, Juliana.

He stopped, refusing to think of all this. That was part of the reason he'd chosen to leave the United Kingdom for school, it was to allow everything back home to settle back down. He was tired of all the drama; he just felt a little guilty for leaving Jacob there to deal with everything. He'd be at Dalton Academy most of the time, yes, but Blaine wouldn't be around nearly as much to protect him like he always had. They'd always stuck together when their parents fought and then, after Juliana came into the picture, Jacob would be the one that comforted Blaine after fights with Prince Michael or Juliana. And vice versa. He just hoped that when Jacob graduated Dalton he'd be allowed the same opportunity. It all just depended on how well Blaine reacted here. It probably wouldn't matter, Jacob had kind of already decided just to go straight to Sandhurst after graduation.

With a quick look at the clock, the prince decided it was about time he called his brother. He would be back from class by now and well, he had promised to call today. It took a moment for Jacob to answer but Blaine was more than happy to hear his brother's voice.

"Ready to come home Blaine?" Jacob teased.

"No, I was just wondering when you'd be joining me."

"Hey, I have two years left and then it will be off to Sandhurst! Maybe I'll even get to go to Afghanistan!"

"I doubt that."

"You never know! I'm not the heir; I'm just the spare!"

"But what would I do without you?" Blaine countered, only half joking.

"You're in New York, it doesn't matter."

"How are dad and Juli?" He asked, knowing his brother had been with them only yesterday.

"Good. 'As in love as ever.' Disgusting." Blaine rolled his eyes, somethings never change.

"Did they behave at the dinner last night?"

"They made grandmother so mad... it was almost humorous."

"Oh, anything new from that?" He replied, a frown suddenly appearing on his face. Juliana didn't realize that being royal, even if one is just a gold-digger married to Prince Michael of Wales, came with rules of how one behaved when in public and certainly how one behaved when in the presence of Queen Alexandra. She never behaved the way she was supposed too and what was worse was that not only did his father not care, he began to act the same way. It always made his grandmother beyond angry and though Blaine and Jacob were always as polite and courteous as they good be (to take away from the spectacle), the night after the queen always questioned her son's parental ability. She also threatened to make Michael divorce Juliana, though there wasn't much she could do about it, even as queen.

"Not really, Blaine. What about you? Any girls? Guys?"

"Jacob, it's been two days since I last spoke to you! What do you expect?"

"It only takes ten seconds for you to introduce yourself, brother." Blaine rolled his eyes. He missed his brother dearly. It almost made him want to go home to visit. _Almost_. He relished the time away from his judgemental step-mother and his push-over father.

"I didn't come here to find my future bride... or groom..." he whispered.

"Just be careful. This can't be like Dalton, Blaine."

"I know that! I'm pretty sure if it ended up like Dalton I'd be disowned."

"Grandmother wouldn't allow father to do that. She thinks you'll be a much better king than father and I."

"But honestly Jacob, who has precedence in father's life? Grandmother or Juliana?"

"I suppose you're right. Just be careful? You're lucky that Jeff didn't make it into the news. If you start seeing a guy and the press finds out, you're in big trouble."

"If mummy was still here this wouldn't be an issue." Blaine grumbled.

"I know. But I gotta go, it's time for me to get dinner. Goodbye brother, enjoy the Big Apple."

"Bye Jake."

"Are you coming home for father's birthday party next week?"

"It depends on if Professor Schuester will let me audition for our play early. I'll get back to you."

"I hope so, after tonight I never want to have to deal with Juli and father alone ever again."

"Cousin Ariel will be there." Blaine teased.

"Shut up, Blaine."

"Bye brother, I miss you." As Blaine plugged his phone in, his thoughts turned to his mummy. And Rachel. There was just something about his duet partner that reminded him of his mother. He couldn't help it. He knew that Rachel had a boyfriend, but he just had to spend more time with her.

There's nothing wrong with that, right?


	4. Wesley

**So, I feel like I should explain before I start. I NEED A PIPPA. So I decided that Kurt would be our Pippa but instead of them being really close friends, I'm making them adopted siblings. My mind works in weird ways :D. He's only gonna be mentioned in this chapter but I wanted to go ahead and make that clear. **  
><strong>Also, I hope you like this boyfriend better the one than I was originally gonna make her boyfriend. Regardless, he'll be gone in a few chapters so don't worry. <strong>

**Chapter 4: Wesley**

As Rachel Berry waited for Wesley Montgomery, she felt her nerves increase. She hadn't seen Wes in almost a month and now that he was coming her nerves were going crazy. They had decided to meet at the baggage claim and Wes's plane had finally arrived, so she knew that it was a matter of minutes before he arrived. She was just so excited! As much as she loved Mercedes, having another link to Lima was something she was thankful for. The only thing that could be better would be if her adopted brother, Kurt, were in New York. Sadly, Kurt hadn't been accepted into Julliard so he was attending a school in Ohio so he could audition again next year. After that, he would probably just settle for NYU.

Two arms snaking themselves around her waists startled her out of her reminiscing, and she was so relieved to finally see her beloved boyfriend. Standing on her tiptoes, she reached up and gave him a quick kiss.

"Hey there," she whispered, looking up at him. Wes just smiled.

"Hey Rach, long time no see."

"Too long," she mumbled, pulling away and taking his hand. Silently they scanned the baggage area, looking for Wes's bag. When he found it, they stalked out of the airport, and to a waiting cab. Too easy.

"So that's all you brought with you?"

"The rest of my stuff is already with Aunt Clarissa, this is just odds and ends that I forgot." She smiled and shook her head.

"Do we need to go there first?"

"She thinks I'm getting in tomorrow. I just wanted to spend to spend time with you."

"That's sweet... I just don't know if we have room in my apartment. Mercedes's sister and her two kids are visiting from New Jersey."

"I can find a hotel, Rach," Wes responded with a smile, "It's fine."

"Before we worry about that, let's get some lunch. I had to skip breakfast this morning."

"Why is that?"

"Oh," She said, a slight blush creeping on her cheeks, "I had to practice an assignment... with Prince Blaine..."

"Oh?" Wes asked, smiling, "Do I get to meet His Royal Highness?"

"I'm sure you will eventually."

"What's he like?"

"He's really nice."

"His whole family is crazy. Have you ever seen his step-mother?" Rachel sighed and scooted out of the cab and pointing Wes in the direction of the cafè she and Mercedes had found during orientation. It was cheap and she thought they would be alone. Key word: she thought.

* * *

><p>"So man, how are classes so far?" Finn asked. Blaine took a bite of his chicken and wiped his mouth before answering.<p>

"Not bad," he answered, "So much better than I expected."

"Same," Puck replied, "Better than some community college in Ohio. At least in New York... it's New York."

"I never caught where you're from."

"Lima, Ohio." Puck answered.

"Lima?" Blaine asked. He remembered Rachel mentioning while they were practicing this morning that she used to live in a town called Lima.

"Yeah," Finn replied, "It's this little loser town no one's heard of."

"Would you happen to know a Rachel Berry?" Finn lowered his gaze and Puck just shook his head.

"Yeah... uh... Finn used to date her. So did I, but we were never as intense as she and Finn were."

"What happened?"

"The reason I worked so damn hard to find my community college was because of her but we had a huge fight about half way through second semester. I wasn't gonna come here until Puck told me he was coming here too. So I figured what the hell. Rach and I are still pretty close, even after she started dating Wes last March. I just... I still love her." Blaine nodded.

"How do you know her anyways?"

"She's in my music theatre class," the prince replied, "We have to sing a duet tomorrow."

"Have fun dude, she's crazy talented." Puck said, smiling.

"What are you singing?"

"We're singing 'A Whole New World.' Rachel likes the irony of it."

"Speaking of," Puck said standing up, "Berry! Montgomery!" Blaine looked over to see Rachel and who Blaine assumed to be her boyfriend.

"Oh hey," Rachel said, "I haven't seen you two at all since I got here."

"Well here we are," Puck replied, "Sup Wesley?"

"Hey there Puck, Finn. It's been a while."

"How's Lima, bro?"

"I wouldn't know Finn. I've been in Westerville." Finn rolled his eyes. From this exchange, Blaine knew that all things weren't good between the two. And Blaine knew why.

"I'm Blaine," He said, hoping to ease the tension. Wes smiled and shook Blaine's extended hand.

"Wesley Montgomery, Your Royal Highness."

"Just Blaine, Wesley. And don't be so nervous, I'm no prince here."

"Would you guys like to sit?" Puck asked, "I miss you, Berry."

"You okay with that Wes?" Rachel asked softly.

"That's fine, Rach. I just see that you guys are almost finished."

"It's no problem," Blaine answered, "It just gives us an excuse to stay longer."

"Alright," Wes muttered, pulling a spare chair for him and Rachel, with Rachel ending up next to him. After he ordered the spaghetti and Rachel ordered a salad, the group shared small talk. Blaine noticed Wes and Finn's constant struggles to stay civil while Rachel, and seemingly Puck, seemed blissfully unaware.

"How'd you two meet?" Blaine asked.

"We competed against each other at sectionals in our junior year. Then we tied and went to regionals together." Rachel answered, a smile forming.

"Then I transferred to McKinley in our senior year after my Uncle Collin started teaching French there."

"You speak French?"

"Oui," Wes replied, "Well, a little. Uncle Collin tried to teach me but I never really caught on."

"My mother taught it to me when I was pretty young. Her mother was from France." Blaine whispered. His mother had been on his mind all day, every little thing reminded him of her. He wasn't really sure what was going on there- he had texted Jacob about it but gotten no response.

"What was she like, dude?" Puck asked, "We've heard the stories... we just kinda wanna know."

"She was... human," Blaine replied, looking towards the floor, "She had her ups and downs and God was she scary when she was angry... I remember one time my brother and I got into major trouble at school and she got crazy mad at us. It was the only time that anger was aimed towards us." Rachel put a comforting arm on Blaine's for a second and honestly... it made him feel better.

"So where are you staying, Wes?" Finn asked.

"I'm moving into Aunt Clarissa's tomorrow but I'm homeless tonight."

"He's not staying with you Rachel?" Blaine inquired, taking a sip of his coke.

"My roommate's family is staying with us right now."

"I've got room," Blaine replied, "Why don't you stay with me for the night? I've got an extra bed and everything."

"That'd be great, thank you," Wesley replied, "You and Rachel live in the same building, correct?"

"Just few doors down," Rachel said, "I can come get you before class in the morning and head to Starbucks. Which, of course, you're more than welcome to come as well, Blaine."

"We'll see how I'm feeling in the morning." Blaine answered, stretching his arms behind his head. Rachel couldn't help but roll her eyes- Wes was right. Blaine _was _crazy. Just in the good way.

The five talked a good deal for the next two hours or so, and much to Blaine's surprise Wes and Finn managed not to fight too majorly. Rachel must really be worth it if Finn was behaving this well, despite his anger at the situation. Though Blaine had only known Finn a short while, he could tell that Finn was one to fight for who he loved. So this led Blaine to the conclusion that Finn didn't really love Rachel but he was able to quickly discard that. The look Finn got every time Wes and Rachel held hands or kissed or even touched proved that Finn was indeed in love with Rachel and she either could see it and ignored it or she was just blissfully unaware. Blaine could argue both sides, but he chose to believe that Rachel just couldn't see it.

Later that night, after class had been attended, dinner had been eaten and his father had been called, Blaine settled down to reading _Oedipus the King _for his play analysis class. He could hear the craziness from Rachel's room, mainly from her roommate. He could occasionally hear Rachel and Wes, but it was mainly Mercedes (he thinks) and her family. He put his earphones in, choosing to listen to a few Disney tunes, and got back to his play. He hated that he already had a paper due on the play, but oh well. Nothing too bad, he supposed.

It was about 10:30 when Wesley knocked on his door. Blaine was about 3/4s of the way done with his play and had almost planned on finishing it but... he had an early class _plus_he had to sing with Rachel in front of that class. He wanted to show everyone that he hadn't just gotten into Julliard because he would one day be king of the United Kingdom, but because he had real talent.

"Hey man," Wes said as he walked in, "I hope I didn't have to kick anyone out..."

"No, my security stays next door at night. I just have an extra bed because... I don't really know why."

"Well, I guess I got lucky. Rachel sent me with some blankets in case you didn't have anything."

"Oh yeah... good plan on her part. Cuz I don't."

"She just knows..." Wes joked with a smile. Blaine let out a soft chuckle.

"That she does. I got that sense in class the other day."

"You're lucky, man. Her voice is outstanding! She might be a little... overbearing... but God can she sing!"

"Well, then I'm sure she'll get the lead in our play."

"I'd be shocked if she didn't. So uh... dude, can you do me a favor?" Wes asked. He had just finished putting his blankets on his bed and had sat down on the bed.

"What?"

"Whoever gets the lead... and if Rachel has a love interest... look out for her, okay?"

"Yeah... sure... do you not trust her?" Blaine asked, awkwardly shifting his wait from one leg to the other. He was... not expecting this when he offered to let Wes stay with him.

"I trust her," Wes replied, looking down, "It's just... she's _hot_and I already have to make sure that Finn keeps his paws off of her. That's part of the reason I moved here."

"I mean, I'll do what I can. You just gotta know that I won't be around sometimes. I might just be Blaine Wales here but in some parts of the world... I'm still a prince. I have duties every once in a while."

"Thanks man. Seriously. I owe you one."

"No problem. Now if you don't mind, I have a class in the morning. I'll see you in the morning."

_**So I know what you're thinking. Wes? Seriously? Well, I love Telly Leung. And he was originally gonna be Karofsky. So uh... yeah. Wes. I didn't think I could write for Karofsky and I don't know if I'm doing a good job with Wes but I assure you**_ _**, no matter how bad HE is, DAVE would have been worse.**_


	5. Coffee and Aladdin

**Chapter 5: Coffee and Aladdin **

It was maybe seven when Rachel was knocking on the door, asking her boyfriend if he was ready to go. This woke Blaine up, and he saw that Wes was still sound asleep. He shook his head, he wasn't surprised for whatever reason.

"Oh, hey Blaine. Is Wes up?" Rachel asked when she answered the door.

"No. You want me to pour ice on him? I hear that's what you do in college..." Rachel laughed.

"Nah, I'm good. I figured this would be the case- that's Wes. Would you like to come to Starbucks with us?"

"Uh, sure. Just let me get ready. I'll be in the bathroom if you change your mind about that ice."

"Will do, now go."

Rachel sat next to Wes and gently began to rub his back, trying to keep calm and sound soothing. It took a minute to him to react, but when he did she couldn't say she was surprised.

"Go away! Rachel..." He said, trying to get out of her reach.

"Hey Blaine, no one can hear anything outside of here, right?" She asked.

"Yeah! Why?" She didn't answer, instead she opened her mouth and belted the highest note she could at 7:15 in the morning without coffee.

"Okay! Okay! I'm up!" Wes shrieked, jumping up, "Dammit Rachel! Why are you so cheerful in the morning?" Rachel just laughed and she was sure that over all of Wes's screaming, Blaine was laughing too.

"I get up at five, silly! Now get dressed. You can sleep when you go to your aunt's house!"

"Yes ma'am." He mumbled, grabbing a t shirt out of his bag. He wanted to look all suave for morning coffee with his lady but it was seven freaking twenty in the morning. He could be suave some other morning, but not this one.

"Ready?" she asked, that ultra-happy, Rachel Berry smile still plastered on her face.

"Yeah," he grumbled, smiling despite his tiredness.

"You ready Blaine?"

"One moment," Blaine replied, finally able to gel his hair just right. It really how toxic how much he used this stuff...

The trio opted to walk to Starbucks instead of a cab, just to enjoy the city and for Wes and Rachel to save a little money. They were mostly silent throughout the walk. For once, Rachel had nothing to say and Wes was still grumpy for being up this early. As for the prince, he just didn't know what to say. That conversation that he and Wesley had the night before had just found its way into his mine. He looked over to the young couple- Wes was totally into Rachel. And from the looks of it, she was pretty into him too. He really just didn't get why Wes was so concerned but he had promised.

This reminded him that he had to talk to Professor Schuester about auditioning before his father's birthday party. As much as he didn't really want to go, he had promised Jacob that he would try and he would do that for his brother.

After the pair ordered their coffees and had found a table, Rachel finally took it upon himself to make conversation.

"You ready for our duet, Blaine?"

"I'm a bit nervous," Blaine admitted.

"Why? According to Rachel you're _almost _as talented as she is." Rachel looked down in humor, trying to hide her smile. That, and Wesley's comment just made Blaine laugh.

"Almost?"

"Not quite my level," Rachel replied with a teasing smile, "But you're the closest partner I've ever had."

"I'm not sure if I sure feel insulted or complimented, so I'll just say thank you."

"You're welcome Blaine Warbler."

"Shouldn't we be going soon? Class in forty five minutes. We still have to warm up."

"Right..." Rachel replied, giving Wes a quick kiss.

"You need help getting to the complex? Mercedes should be up by now."

"I'll take a cab. I'll see you later, babe. Break a leg you two."

"Bye," Blaine said, giving a small wave. As Blaine and Rachel departed, they began to make small chat while they walked the short distance to their building.

"So, are you, Rachel Berry, nervous?"

"No, I'm gonna be on Broadway one day. There's no need for me to be nervous- it'll be my life one day."  
>"Broadway? You don't dream small, do you?"<p>

"Well, you're the future king of England. You've always known what was gonna happen. If you didn't, what would you wanna do?"

"Hmm... I've never given much thought to it."

"Surely being a king isn't the only thing you've wanted in life. Anyone you want to be with, you want to do, somewhere you want to go?" Blaine almost stopped completely. There was no way she knew about Jeff... was there? He was so sure no one had ever heard about what happened at Dalton... but could he be wrong?

"Well... I mean... ahh..." He choked, unsure of how to answer, "I think there's something... maybe... I've just never cared to know. Why should I try to find something I want to do when I can't do it anyways?" Rachel paused, but didn't say anything. They were there anyways and they only had a few minutes before class started. They needed to warm up, this was no time for talking.

"Alright guys, today's the day. I'm expecting to be blown away with these duets. So let's get started." Professor Schuester said, "Brad and Tanya are first." The two preppiest people Rachel had ever seen got in the middle of the circle, and they immediately began to talk in those annoying valley voices.

"Well, this is Brad Axel Dashwood..."

"And this is Tanya Jane Newton."

"And Tanya's favorite color is pink."

"And Brad's favorite color is totally blue."

"And Tanya likes to shop."

"And Brad likes to play video games."

"And now,"

"We're gonna sing 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart'" Rachel had to admit, their talent almost made up for their obnoxious personalities. Not that that meant much.

"Blaine and Rachel, you guys ready?"

"Yes sir," Blaine said. He stood up and grabbed Rachel's hand to help her up. He took a quick breath, and finally began to talk.

"This beautiful girl right here is Rachel Barbra Berry. She's a vegan and she wants to be a star on Broadway and I'll definitely be in the audience when she makes her debut."

"And I'm sure you all know the dashing Prince Blaine Henry Charles Louis of Wales, but he would prefer it if you called him Blaine Warbler, since he was the lead singer of the Warblers, the a capella glee club at his old school in England. Blaine Warbler is also quite the Harry Potter fan."

"It's true." Blaine added, "Seriously."

"Thank you guys, now Rachel your email said you would be singing 'A Whole New World?'"

"Yes, professor."

"Go ahead." They paused, and the pianist in the room began to play.

_I can show you the world_  
><em>Shining, shimmering, splendid<em>  
><em>Tell me, princess, now when did<em>  
><em>You last let your heart decide?<em>

The whole room, even the professor, gasped when they heard the prince sing. Even William Schuester, who had seen Blaine's auditions, was shocked to hear it. He wasn't quite sure what he had expected, but Blaine had certainly exceeded whatever expectations he had. And Rachel sounded beautiful as well, he certainly had to keep them in mind when he was casting the class's performance.

After the performances were over, the professor walked to the middle of the circle. He had an announcement to make.

"You guys were incredible. So now I have a surprise... these duets were your auditions for our play."

"What is our play, professor?"

"Well, Tanya, I've chosen _Phantom of the Opera. _I'm gonna let you guys out early today; I'll read out our cast on Tuesday."

_**I've pretty planned out the rest of this. By the looks of it, this fic will be about 23 chapters with an epilogue. Oh dear! Also, there will be a time forward in the next chapter.**_


	6. Lima

**Chapter 6: Lima**

"Blaine, are you sure you wanna visit Lima? Shouldn't you be going to England?" Finn asked. It was Thanksgiving break and instead of returning home, because of recent drama with his step-mother, Blaine was riding in the backseats of Finn's old Chevy Equinox on the way to Lima with Finn and Puck. Rachel, Mercedes and Wesley were behind them, driving in Wes's Sedan that his Aunt had bought him after he moved to New York.

"No, not at all. The last thing I want to do is go home."

"What about your brother, dude?" Puck asked.

"Jake will be in town for the play in two weeks. I'm not too concerned. Besides, I want to see where all my friends are from."

"Trust me, it's nothing."

"I don't know man," Finn responded, "I hear Rachel is performing for McKinley's glee club on Wednesday night."

"I heard that too and after that, party at Puck's," Puck answered, "Blaine's in for the thrill of his life on Wednesday." Blaine rolled his eyes.

"I think it's a good thing you're getting me all partied out before I become king. So I thank you, Noah."

"Hey, watch it Warbler. There's only one person besides my mother allowed to call me Noah and that's Rachel Berry."

"How's the play going anyways, phantom?"

"We're doing well. Rachel is owning the role of Christine."

"She and Kurt are like that," Puck replied, "They've been like that since high school."

"I should warn you about Kurt, he will, without a doubt, fawn over you."

"Seriously dude, when he found out you were going to Julliard he cried for a week because he didn't get in. He begged me and Finn to let us stay with him."

"So Kurt... he's gay?"

"Yeah. He has a boyfriend named Dave. They're... interesting together."

"Interesting isn't the word, Finn. More like down right creepy."

"Who would have ever thought that Karofsky was gay?"

"After the way he treated Kurt in high school, I still have problems believing it."

"Anyways, yeah. Kurt's a lot like Rachel in the sense that when he likes someone he _really _likes someone, but Rachel told me that she called him when she found out you were staying with the Berries and told him to chill out."

"We'll see how long that lasts," Puck said, "But I'm sure Rachel will be able to keep him in line. Or Finn and I can talk to him."

"Thanks," Blaine replied, feeling nervous about this Kurt kid, "How much longer?"

"We're about to hit Westerville to drop Wes off and then we'll be about two hours off." Finn answered, trying not to make it obvious how annoyed he was at the situation. He failed, miserably.

"Drop it dude," Puck grumbled, "Wes is gonna be in Westerville till Rachel's show and she's riding the last two hours with us."

"Whatever. We're here anyways." Blaine looked out the window and saw Rachel hugging and kissing Wes while Mercedes moved their bags to Finn's car. Finally, they broke apart and Rachel began to help Mercedes with her bags, and Wes gave a quick wave before walking into the large white house they were parked in front of. An elderly woman stepped out and waved to Rachel, before walking back in with Wes.

As it turned out, Rachel ended up sitting between Blaine and Mercedes. He listened patiently as Rachel and Noah would occasionally insult each other or she and Mercedes would go crazy and sing along to the radio. Finn, although he tried to pay attention to the road, was also spending extra attention to his ex-girlfriend, who was now chatting with Blaine about a Disney Movie Marathon with Kurt.

"We must watch Aladdin!" Blaine exclaimed.

"Duh, that's like our movie!" Rachel replied, sticking her tongue out. Finn just rolled his eyes. He really liked Blaine- he was a cool dude, and he didn't just think that because Blaine was a prince. But Finn _loved _Rachel. He always had. Maybe he was stupid for making out with that Molly chick during that party because he was drunk... but he regretted it everyday. Especially when he saw Wes and Rachel so happy together and now he also had to worry about Blaine. This was all too much. He and Rachel were meant to be, it was as simple as that. There would never be a Rachel Berry-Montgomery or whatever, she would be Rachel Hudson.

He was so sure of that, even after living in New York and seeing her and Wes just fall more and more in love. Now... watching her with Blaine, he wasn't as sure. But that wouldn't stop him.

* * *

><p>"Bye Puck, bye Finn! Thanks for the ride!" Rachel called as the two drove away. She looked to Blaine, who was taking in the simple house with curiosity. She couldn't help but smile- oh the perks of being fun with a prince.<p>

"RACHEL BARBRA BERRY! GET INSIDE THIS HOUSE!"

"Shut up Kurt!" She called back, "We're coming."

"So that was the infamous Kurt?" Blaine asked, grabbing his luggage and going for Rachel's as well. She beat him to it, there was no way she was letting him carry her bags, lest she give Kurt the wrong idea.

"Yeah, that was him," She replied, ignoring the previous mini fight they had just had, "He's something. You'll hopefully get used to him before the week is over. On like, Friday night."

"Finn made it seem like you two were close."

"We are but that doesn't mean I don't want to beat him sometimes. I'm sure you feel the same way with your brother sometimes!"

"Point taken." Rachel just smiled again and opened the door to the house, only to find her own two dads and Kurt, dressed in their best attire, standing.

"Your Royal Highness, I am Leroy Berry and this is my partner, Hiram and our son, Kurt..."

"Hello to you all," the prince said, shaking Leroy's hand, "I thank you for opening up your home to me but request that you call me Blaine. Like I've told Rachel and our friends, I'm not trying to be a prince here. I would love to be normal."

"Of course, Blaine," Hiram replied, "We just finished dinner. Would either you like some?"

"No thanks, daddy, I'm kinda ready for bed and I'm sure Blaine is too."

"I am," Blaine admitted, "Though I would hate to just leave after I got here..."

"Don't worry about it, Hiram and I have to work in the morning."

"And I'm going to breakfast with my birth dad and Carole." Kurt added.

"You mean Finn's parents?" Rachel asked.

"No. Just because my dad married his mom..."

"Enough," Hiram snapped. He and Leroy hated when Kurt spoke like this but that didn't mean that they regretted telling him about his birth parents after Elizabeth died but Kurt was bitter that he had never really known his mother.

"I'll show you the guest bedroom, Blaine." Leroy said softly.

"It's next to our room and we sleep with the door open!"

"That's enough, Hiram. Good night Rachel, good night Kurt."

"Night Rach and thank you guys once again. This means a lot to me."

"Goodnight." Kurt said, smiling. As soon as they were done, he looked towards his sister, a huge smile on his face. She could tell that they were in for another one of their world famous talks.

"Can I at least get coffee before we start?"

"Already made in the kitchen," Kurt replied. Rachel rolled her eyes, she almost anticipated that answer. Slowly, she made her way towards the kitchen poured herself a glass of coffee and stirred in a bit of sugar. If this had been anyone but Kurt, she would be upstairs sleeping.

"My room or yours?" she asked after a few sips.

"Yours. You can unpack while we talk." Rachel nodded and walked to the hallway linked the living room. Rachel and Kurt had lived in the spare rooms there since middle school and it allowed for great privacy. Rachel walked into her room for the first time in months and threw herself on the bed.

"The mattresses in my complex are nowhere near as comfortable as this one." she mumbled softly before forcing herself to sit up.

"Yeah, uh-huh. Spill about Prince Charming upstairs."

"I've already told you everything, Kurt. It's not like I didn't keep contact when I was in New York."

"Uh huh. What does Wes think of your 'budding relationship' with Blaine?"

"Wes is friends with him too. It's seriously no big deal."

"Yeah, sure, Rach. He's totally into you."

"And so is Finn," Rachel replied with a sigh, "I'm with Wes. So whatever Blaine has for me, it doesn't matter right now. We're just friends."

"Whatever you say hun. I'm glad you're home. Night." He gave his sister a hug and sulked off to his room.

Rachel threw herself back on the bed and sighed. She hoped that Kurt would lay off of Blaine AND her during the visit, though that seemed highly unlikely. She willed sleep to come after such a long trip. She felt so exhausted but she just couldn't sleep.

It was about midnight when she sulked out of her room to watch the tv. Well, at least _Moulin Rouge _happened to be on. That made the situation a little better.

"You not asleep yet?" That damn accent asked. It affected her more than she wanted to admit.

"Obviously," she mumbled. She heard him climb down the stairs and sit next to her on the couch.

"I can't sleep either," he said. She sighed and nodded, incapable of any other movement.

"So what did you and Kurt talk about?" He asked, as if it was a casual thing.

"How did you know?" she asked, jumping up. Apparently that was just the boost of energy she may or may not have needed.

"Please Rachel, I have a brother too. I saw that look Kurt gave you when I was going upstairs."

"Well if you must know Blaine Warbler, we were talking about you." He shook his head, that charming "prince" smile gracing his features.

"I figured that was the case," He replied, "Kurt seems like the kind of person who would know everything about me and my family."

"Yeah... that's not a bad guess..."

"I don't know if I'll ever get used to people like your brother. I'm sure he's perfectly nice but I don't see why people want to know everything little thing about me."

"Maybe because one day you're gonna be the most famous king in the whole world? And you're totally handsome?"

"Ah why thank you Miss Berry." She rolled her eyes. The tiredness was coming back. The energy bursts only lasted so long after all. Without thinking she laid her head on his shoulder and took a deep breath. Her tired brain told her how wrong that was but the rest of her refused to care.

When Blaine felt her head touching his own shoulder, he thought immediately that he should push her off. But he didn't. She was asleep and she just looked so... adorable. So instead he just put his arms around her a dozed off himself. What was the harm?

* * *

><p>Rachel didn't realize where she was when she woke up. For whatever reason, she thought that she was in New York, in Wes's room, maybe. Or maybe her apartment. She just knew that was Wes had to have been there. Who else would be holding her like that?<p>

"Good morning Wes," She said, sitting up. Then she gasped. That _wasn't _Wesley Montgomery.

"What?" Blaine asked, rubbing his yes. Rachel looked up and realized it was 5 am- her dads would be up and down here any minute! And here she and Blaine were sitting on the couch!

"Go to your room Blaine, we'll talk about this later."

"Mmkay," He whispered sleepily and with absolutely no grace whatsoever, tried to walk up stairs. In the process, he managed to bump into the coffee table next to the stairs.

"BE QUIET!" she hissed.

"Sorry. Night Rachel." She rolled her eyes and made sure he made it upstairs before she ran to her room and crawled into her own bed.

What the hell happened there?

_**A/N: For the record, picturing Blaine/Darren with an English accent is driving me crazy. It just makes a perfect man more perfect :)**_


	7. The Night Out

_**So, my lucky self is starting school tomorrow (SENIOR YEAR BABY!). I'm gonna try to get two chapters in today (don't count on it though) but most of my updating is gonna come during the weekends now. Sorry guys. I plan on writing what I can while I'm at school but that never turns out well. xoxo**_

**Chapter 7: The Night Out**

Blaine was having some vegan pizza with Rachel for lunch, they were about to head off to see a movie with Kurt and their friends and then dinner. They were both silent, they had been since Sunday morning. Neither of them knew what to say and it was driving Blaine absolutely crazy. He noticed Rachel cleaning up and he sighed. It was time.

"Wait Rachel," he said, noticing she was about to walk away.

"Hm?"

"What exactly happened the night we got here?"

"We were both tired. We fell asleep."

"Was there more to that?" He asked, looking her straight in the eye. She tried so hard to look away but she couldn't.

"No," She whispered quietly, "Blaine, you're a great friend but I love Wes. I'm sorry."

"That's all I needed to hear Rach." She nodded and began to walk out slowly.

"You better get ready. We're leaving in about 30 minutes to meet up with Mercedes and Puck." she said over her shoulder.

"Is Finn not going?"

"Not to the movie, no. He's meeting us after for dinner." Blaine nodded and watched her leave. He didn't know what it was about Rachel that made him feel the way he did, he just knew that it was driving him crazy.

* * *

><p>Rachel was driving Blaine crazy. She'd barely spoke to him all night and that really bugged him. She didn't sit next to him at the movie either because she was with Puck or Kurt the whole damn night. He was hoping things would pick up when they went to some local restaurant he believed was called Breadstix for dinner. Only Finn would be there. Oh well, at least Finn isn't Wes. He was coming in two days from now and would also be staying with Rachel and Blaine wasn't sure if he could handle that. Rachel's dads were actually letting Wes stay with Rachel in her room- that he certainly couldn't handle.<p>

Rachel ended up riding with Mercedes and Kurt to Breadstix while Puck and Blaine together. That didn't bother him much since Mercedes, Kurt and Rachel were practically inseparable in high school (according to Puck).

"So what's it like staying with the Berries?"

"It's not as bad as you and Finn made me think it would be."

"I can't believe Kurt listened..." Blaine just laughed and shook his head.

"He's been good. We talked some this morning actually. He seems... sane."

"No one in the Berry household is sane, man. Seriously. I've known Rach and Kurt since we were like... three. Kurt was in my pre-school class. I went to his Patti LuPone birthday party."

"That's... not surprising actually. He mentioned Patti being his 'idol.' Well, her and my mother."

"And Rachel wants to be like Barbra Streisand. Shit, when she thought about getting a nose job in High School we went to the mall and held a 'Barbra-vention'"

"A what?"

"We went to the mall and you know that song by Duck Sauce? Yeah, we danced to that. Like idiots... but at least it worked." Blaine couldn't help but laugh at the mental image.

"You guys must have been wild back then, right?"

"Well I mean, we can't all go to Dalton Academy and grow up to be kings."

"Trust me, my life at Dalton was nothing like you would expect."

"I bet you were surrounded by the ladies 24/7"

"Not exactly," he whispered as they pulled up at the restaurant. He saw Rachel, Kurt and Mercedes getting out of Kurt's car and they looked like they were laughing their heads off.

"You guys ready for the Stix?" Puck asked as they headed for the door.

"This brings back so many memories!" Rachel squealed. She and Mercedes immediately ran in, leaving the boys to laugh and follow them in.

"Why are they so excited?" Blaine asked, slightly amused.

"Tina." was Kurt's short reply. Blaine looked over at Puck questioningly. He just shrugged.

"Old friend. She goes to UCLA with her boyfriend, Mike." He nodded and walked in behind Puck, who was trying to look more badass than usual. He saw Rachel hugging an Asian girl and he could hear them squealing. He smiled at the girl and guy standing behind her before taking a seat between Finn and Rachel.

"Blaine, this is Tina and Mike. The longest running glee couple." Mercedes said. He reached over and shook Mike's hand while sending another smile to Tina.

"I'm Blaine Warbler." He said.

"We've heard about you," Tina replied, "Don't worry. We won't treat you like God!" Laughs came from around the table.

"Well thank you then," He replied, grinning. He was silent for the most part after that, listening to the former McKinley kids reminiscing their high school days. He didn't realize how much of a family they were. He'd be lying if he said he didn't feel out of place, but he didn't mind it. At least this conversation was interesting. If he was home right now, he'd probably be bored out of his mind at some dinner with his grandmother. And he also had to admit that this spaghetti was a lot better than he expected it to be, so that made it a bit easier.

"So how's the play going?" Tina asked, "Mike and I already bought tickets for opening night."

"It's going. Blaine is a great Phantom and I think I'm playing Christine fairly well."

"She is," Blaine added, "She reminds me of my mother when she sings sometimes."

"Your mother sang?" Finn asked, incredulously.

"Me and Jacob would go to sleep every night to her singing. When she... passed... we would listen to a recording for a while."

"She seemed like she would have a good voice," Kurt said, trying to relieve the tension.

"Oh yeah Kurt," Finn replied, "I'm sure you can just tell looking at people."

"It's one of my gifts."

"Boy, I thought your gifts were..."

"And being able to tell if people have good voices." Kurt said quickly, cutting Mercedes off. Everyone else laughed while Mercedes just sent him a death glare.

"Hey Kurt, your boo's here." Mercedes said after a minute. Kurt looked over her shoulder and smiled.

"Excuse me. Rachel, come with me!" Rachel nodded and followed her brother off.

"Uh, I think we need to supervise this..." Finn said, "You in Puckerman?"

"I am if Chang's in." The three guys stalked off, giving a quick be right back. That just left Blaine, Mercedes and Tina.

"Okay," Mercedes said immediately, "What's going on with you and my girl?"

"You can tell?"

"I've just met you and I can sense the tension," Tina answered. Blaine just shook his head.

"That first night, we fell asleep on the couch together. And I really like her..."

"But then there's Wes," Mercedes finished.

"That and some... drama... from Dalton. I know whoever I date has to meet my grandmother's standards."

"As in, she has to be Quinn Fabray."

"No, not at all. I'm not saying she has to be aristocratic, though I'm sure my father would appreciate it if she was, I'm just saying she has to... be a girl." The two gasped.

"Wait... are you gay?" Tina asked.

"I don't know what I am. I mean... I really liked him... but I really like Rachel. So maybe I'm bi?"

"Whatever you are, listen here. I love Rachel like a sister and I don't care if she's with Wesley or with you but you better make sure she doesn't get hurt. You're gonna need twice the security you already have if she does."

"I know, Mercedes," he replied, "I wouldn't doubt that in a second. But you have no reason to worry. Hurting someone else, especially Rachel, is the last thing that I want." Mercedes seemed satisfied, as did Tina, but that conversation lingered in Blaine's mind for the rest of the night.

The goodbyes were said and Blaine, Kurt, and Rachel climbed into Kurt's car to drive home. Kurt and Rachel chatted about the evening, and Blaine would occasionally add his own input. Blaine had really liked Tina- she seemed really supportive and nice. He also had liked Mike, he was hilarious and at the points of the evening that Blaine felt out of place, Mike always made an attempt to bring him back. He really appreciated that!

"Goodnight Rachel," He said softly when they had finally returned to the Berry home. She looked up and smiled at him.

"Night Blaine, I hope you had a fun time tonight."

"I did, thank you." They shared another quick smile before Blaine journeyed upstairs to at least attempt to sleep. That didn't really happen, it hadn't since Sunday morning.


	8. Real with Me

**Chapter 8: Real with Me**

Tonight was Rachel Berry's night. Wes was in Lima for the remainder of their trip, she was performing tonight with a few of her old friends that were still at McKinley, she had a solo, and Puck was having a party tonight. She was so pumped, so ready to go. This was going to be the best night ever, she knew that.

* * *

><p>He was seated between Kurt and Wes. He didn't know how that happened, he just knew how awkward this was going to be. Mercedes was on the other side of Kurt and she sent him a comforting smile, but it didn't relieve his nerves much. He just wanted to show to start! He knew that Puck was playing guitar for one of Rachel's songs, an original song from what he'd heard.<p>

The looks he was getting were starting to scare him. He had been recognized while he was at dinner, yes, but he had never commanded this much attention while he was in Lima. It unnerved him a bit, and Kurt looked over and shook his head.

"I don't get it," he said, "You're famous. They _like_you. What's the problem?

"You want to be famous Kurt," Blaine responded, "I was born into it. I don't mind it most of the time but there are times when it's a bit... overwhelming."

"I'd switch with you any day."

"If I could make it possible, I would. But I wonder how long it would take you to take that back." Kurt just scoffed as the lights began to dim. An old man walked on stage, wearing a pink sweater and scarf. He was... creepy.

"Welcome all of you to the William McKinley High School Glee club's night of neglect. We would like to extend a special welcome to the glee club alumni, including Miss Rachel Berry who is a freshman at the Julliard School and will be singing for us later tonight and Mr. Noah Puckerman who will be playing guitar for us this evening. We'd also like to welcome Prince Blaine of Wales and thank him for attending this evening. I hope you enjoy the show, thank you." Blaine wanted nothing more than to sink back into his chair at the moment and hide. But he couldn't. So he just sat and watched as the boys and girls in yellow and black clothes, looking like bumble bees. They performed a Katy Perry song, some classics, a Bruno Mars number, and then the lights went up and he saw Rachel emerge in a red dress and she waited for Puck to join her.

"Thank you all for coming tonight. I'll be singing an original song called Real With Me. I hope you enjoy it and have a good night." Puck began to strum a moment later, and he noticed another girl on piano. Then Rachel began to sing and the other two didn't matter.

_I'll never catch a shooting star_  
><em>Or call ya out on who ya really are<em>  
><em>I know I'm not the one you wanna win<em>  
><em>It's a losin' game<em>  
><em>So I'm losin' it<em>

_And I'm surprised we got this far_  
><em>With that barricade but I want more<em>  
><em>I would be a fool to let you let me quit<em>

_And maybe you should just say somethin_  
><em>You havent rehearsed-but that leaves nothin<em>  
><em>Along with me-you've neglected the urge to be real<em>  
><em>Real with me,<em>  
><em>If I'd ask for one thing<em>  
><em>Just say I love you<em>  
><em>But I know you won't believe<em>  
><em>Truth won't pass your lips- I know<em>  
><em>Stop pretending<em>

_I'm not susprised I let you in this far so it's_  
><em>It's safe to say that I still adore you<em>  
><em>I'm not the one who started this<em>  
><em>And I won't back down<em>  
><em>So keep pushin it<em>  
><em>And on the day that you came undone<em>  
><em>That day was the last day that I felt home<em>  
><em>So I would be a fool to let you let me quit<em>

_And maybe you should just say somethin_  
><em>You havent rehearsed-but that leaves nothin<em>  
><em>Along with me-you've neglected the urge to be real<em>  
><em>Real with me,<em>  
><em>If I'd ask for one thing<em>  
><em>Just say I love you<em>  
><em>But I know you won't believe<em>  
><em>Truth won't pass your lips- I know<em>  
><em>Stop pretending<em>

_And it was never about what you were not_  
><em>But I don't know how much longer I can hold on<em>  
><em>Hooooold onnnn<em>

_And maybe you should just say somethin_  
><em>You haven't rehearsed-but that leaves nothin<em>  
><em>Along with me-you've neglected the urge to be real<em>  
><em>Real with me,<em>  
><em>If I'd ask for one thing<em>  
><em>Just say I love you<em>  
><em>But I know you won't believe<em>  
><em>Truth won't pass your lips- I know<em>  
><em>Stop pretending<em>  
><em>Yeeeeaaaah<em>

As the song came to a close, the lyrics swirled around Blaine's head. What did they mean? Were they directed to him? Did Rachel really care? The entire group jumped to their feet the moment she was done. She had been brilliant, though none of them expected any less.

"Wasn't she fantastic?" Kurt asked him. Blaine nodded enthusiastically.

"I don't even know if fantastic could describe it."

After the audience had settled down, Rachel and Puck had lent their voices for Don't Stop Believin', which was apparently the New Directions' theme song. That, of course, also received a standing ovation. When they were released, Kurt, Mike, and Finn ushered Blaine out immediately to Kurt's car.

"We're not going to congratulate her?" Blaine asked when they were situated.

"Did you really wanna be swarmed?" Kurt asked.

"We'll see her at the party, anyways. They're gonna meet us there." Mike added. Blaine nodded, really thankful for what they had done. He'd see Rachel regardless anyways, even if Wes would be there.

* * *

><p>The party was in full string when Blaine first found Rachel. She was with Wes and they were chatting to a few guys. Of course, a few girls had tried to grab his eyes. Some more beautiful than others, but he shook them off. Most of the night, he gravitated towards the alcohol. He wasn't proud of it, but he just needed something to keep his mind off Rachel. It worked, at first. He tried dancing, too, but that didn't work.<p>

This was seriously pissing him off. He had told Rachel that he didn't care that she didn't want anything more than friendship. And he shouldn't. No matter what he said, he knew that if he wanted to date any girl, she would have to be aristocratic. He'd lost any opportunity he had to choose after Jeff. It wasn't out of the question that an American girl who wanted to be an actress could be the one he marries, but that doesn't mean it was gonna be easy.

After a few minutes of just standing around, he decided to go lay down in Puck's room. Puck had assured him the room would be kept empty if he needed it. At first Blaine wasn't sure if he would use the room, but the thinking was making his head hurt. He had his iPod so he could hopefully down out the music from the party, though he wasn't too sure if that would be possible.  
>He had begun to take the blazer had been wearing off when he walked in, ready to crash. He didn't expect another body when he crawled into the bed, though at this point that would have been his recent luck.<p>

"Oh God!" He cried, "I am so sorry Rachel!" Rachel jumped up, as if she had been unaware of his presence.

"It's okay Blaine, I promise it is." She replied. Blaine sat at the edge of the bed. He couldn't help it... he just kind of shut down and started crying. He had promised that he would never again cry after his mother's funeral, but he couldn't help it. Years of Juliana, of the incident of Jeff, Rachel had really taken its toll. That and there was a bunch of alcohol in his system, though he didn't really think that he was that drunk.

"I'm sorry Rach," He said, "Could you leave me alone? I think this is something I gotta go through alone." Rachel, instead of leaving, sat next to him and began to rub his shoulder.

"Even princes have to cry, Blaine. Why don't you tell me what's going on?"

"I'm just so confused," He replied, not even thinking. He was passed that point. He would regret what he said later, but he didn't care.

"About?"

"YOU!" He screamed, "I don't know what I'm supposed to feel about you! I didn't come to America to find romance; I came to get away from it! And it was going so well at first! I thought I'd escaped everything for the first time and it was great! But ever since rehearsal got more intense I've felt something, something I only felt for Jeff Sterling! And I've ignored it, but then we came here and we fell asleep together and it's been more! And dammit, I know you're with Wes and I really like him and he's a great guy but I can't help what I feel! And I hate that!" His throat hurt after that, and he could barely breath. She began to pat his back, though she seemed a little reluctant to do so.

"You done?"

"Yeah." He said, still trying to catch his breath.

"Look Blaine, you're a great guy. I would have never thought that you would even consider me a friend, compared to Quinn Fabray and her duke father, and maybe if I wasn't with Wes we could be together but I am. And I love him. So whatever you feel with me, you can either get over it or you can wait. I don't know if Wes and I will last. I want us too, he's such a good guy, but if we don't... then maybe something will happy. But if I were you, I would move on. Okay?" He nodded and looked her over.

"You were really great tonight," He said after a moment of silence.

"Thank you," she replied, "I'm gonna go now. Try to get some sleep, I can tell that you haven't. I'll come get you when we leave." She left him then. He wasn't sure if he was happy to be clear or if he just felt worse. But like Rachel said, he could wait. He could sleep this off now and deal with it later.

And that's what he would do.  
><em><em>

_**There we go! I don't know it's very good, but I was in a hurry to finish. **_  
><em><strong>Also, the song Rachel sang was Real with Me by Cady Groves. She's kinda unknown , but she's AMAZING. So give the song a listen if you please :D<strong>_  
><em><strong>Finally, that was the last Lima chapter. After this, it'll be play time. We'll see what's going on with Blaine then :). <strong>_  
><em><strong>OH! For those worrying about WesRachel, it's almost over. One more chapter maybe. I just haven't figured out what's gonna happen.**_


	9. The Club

**Chapter 9: The Club**

The night before the show opened, Rachel, Mercedes, and Wes went back to the club that started it all. Out of fear of hurting herself before the big night, she kept the dancing to a minimal and drank only water, but she did have fun. Wes stayed with her most of the night, only leaving to dance with Mercedes occasionally and to get drinks. They talked a lot, of course, made out some, but mainly they just watched the dancers. About twenty minutes in, Rachel was able to spot Blaine dancing with the girl playing Meg Giry in the play, Libby. She couldn't help but feel a stab of jealous piercing her stomach, and she hated that.

"Rachel, are you even paying attention to me?" Quinn asked. Rachel looked in her direction in shock- she hadn't even realized Quinn had even sat down.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry. What were you saying?"

"Prince Blaine sure does look dapper tonight, doesn't he?"

"And Libby sure does make the perfect arm candy, I have to admit."

"Jealous are you? What would Wesley say?"

"Why does it even matter to you?" Rachel asked, "I'm _with _Wesley. Not Blaine."

"Why Rachel dear, I don't want to get your hopes up. I'm the girl he can take home to Queen Alexandra, not you."

"As long as Libby will let you," she replied, tone just as icy as Quinn's had been, "That's fine with me. Besides, I'm sure the queen will love to know about how your baby's doing!"

"Who cares about you? You're just a girl from a tiny town no one's ever heard of with big Broadway dreams that probably won't even come true. You think he'll even remember you past graduation? Now look at me. Baby or disowned, my father is still a duke. Even Princess Margaret had aristocratic blood in her, something I have and you don't."

"I don't know why you even came to talk to me, Lucy Quinn Fabray, but I'd appreciate it if you'd left. I have a big night tomorrow and I won't let you ruin it. Go find Puck and make out for all I care or if you wanna argue go find Santana!"

"Whatever, Berry. Just remember, I'm the future queen and you'll just be that little actress that almost made it." A moment after Quinn left, Rachel ran as fast as she could to the restroom. She needed to get a grip- she would have to kiss Blaine tomorrow, she didn't need to psych herself out. She shouldn't have let Quinn get away with that, but what could she really do?

* * *

><p>Blaine wasn't quite sure what she felt for Libby Baker, but he knew whatever it was it was nowhere near what he felt for Rachel Berry. But Rachel was taken, and Libby wasn't. It wasn't like he was using Libby- he really did like her. She was nice and wasn't intimidated by his title at all. He could appreciate that, most of the kids in any of his classes still hadn't gotten over the shock. And she was pretty. She had blond hair and piercing blue eyes and a southern accent that he really enjoyed. She might not be Rachel, but she wasn't bad.<p>

"Would you like some water?" He asked after a good hour or so of dancing. He really shouldn't have been dancing at all, but he came here to have fun and that's what he would do. He only had so much longer that he could get away with clubbing, of course. After Julliard, it was either off to the military with Jacob or becoming king-in-training with the queen.

"Yes please," Libby said, "I see my roommate and it looks like she's having some problems."

"Right. I'll meet you at the table in twenty minutes?"

"Of course," She said, kissing his cheek. Blaine smiled as she walked away, but turned away the moment she was gone. He felt so guilty. She obviously liked him the way he was and here he was, wishing she was named Rachel Berry and was shorter than him, and not the same height. His mother, who would not have cared about what happened with Jeff or anything, would be so ashamed of him right now. And he hated that.

"Two waters please," He said to the bartender. The guy nodded and stalked off, a little shocked to have an order for water.

"Make that three," A small voice said from behind him. He looked over and smiled, Rachel had apparently found him.

"Hey," He said.

"Hey," She replied. He studied her a bit more closely, she looked like she had been crying. He frowned- what in the world had happened?

"You okay? Did you and Wes fight or something?"

"Oh no," she said with a small smile, "I just had a talk with Quinn Fabray."

"What about?"

"She was just criticizing my dream. Claiming I wouldn't make it." She whispered. Blaine rolled his eyes. He had a feeling he knew what had really happened, Quinn had been this way as long they'd known each other. She was convinced, even at age four, that they would one day be married. And he believed it, too, until he was about fourteen. Quinn had attended Crawford Country Day School for Girls, which was right next to Dalton Academy, and she gained quite a reputation. And not a good one. She was the school slut and she was also the school bitch, along with Santana Lopez. It was then that he started to realize that Quinn was not the girl he thought could be a queen, and he made excuses to avoid her. Then she got pregnant and immediately disowned and he thought that was the end of it. He guessed wrong when he found out she was attending NYU and had decided to come _after _he had announced his intentions to come to Julliard.

"Don't listen to her," He said, giving Rachel a hug, "She's just jealous."

"So you're here with Libby. Having a good time?" she said after a second.

"Oh yeah," He lied, "She's great."

"I'm glad you've found someone," She whispered, a smile gracing her lips. Only he wasn't sure how sincere that was- it didn't quite reach her eyes like her famous Rachel Berry smiles.

"Yeah," He replied, looking away, "I am too."

"Rach?" They heard. They both turned away, looking in the direction of the voice, "You ready to go? You need to be well rested."

"Oh yes. Night Blaine. It was good talking."

"Night." He replied, watching as Rachel walked away with Wesley. She looked extra hot tonight in that red dress and those heels... he wasn't sure how much longer he could stand this. There were two weeks until the semester was over, but those two weeks would be hell and he knew it.

**_So there we go. Sorry for the delay and that it's so short- the play was going to be in here too but I didn't think it fit in anymore. I'm gonna start chapter ten, which will be the (end of the) play and the events that follow after it, tonight and try to upload it tomorrow. We'll get to see Jacob in person and there will be a huge surprise! _**

**_On a personal note, senior year is AWESOME so far. Also, has anyone seen Glee Live in 3D yet? I saw it Friday night with my best gleek friends. I danced and sang the entire night and went all fangirl over Darren. Yes, I'm cool! _**

**_I love you guys! xoxo__  
><em>**


	10. The Point of No Return

**Chapter 10: The Point of No Return**

The night had gone well so far, he couldn't deny that. Rachel was Christine, she was carrying the entire show. Not even Alex, who was playing Raoul, could keep up with her, and that was saying something. Alex was the only senior in this bunch and he loved to flaunt it. He had teased Rachel and Blaine for their age all semester, Blaine couldn't help but be proud that Rachel was all but telling him to shove it. She was certainly cut out for Broadway, that was for certain.

The time came for his personal favorite song, "The Point of No Return." At the end of that would be "Down Once More" and during that time... Blaine and Rachel would kiss. He was nervous. They'd never practiced that kiss before, Schuester wouldn't let them. He wanted the first one to be as real as possible and for their shock to be genuine. Wesley wasn't pleased with this, but he didn't make a big deal of it. There was nothing they could do if they wanted to pass the class... and they did, of course.

"You ready for this?" Blaine asked Rachel. She nodded- she was just as nervous as he was. He watched her as she came on stage. Blaine quickly ran to the other side of the stage, making it just in time for his entrance.

_"Passarino - Go away for the trap it is set and waits for it's prey." _He said, walking around the stage, trying to be as sexy as possible. He saw Rachel look up and feign shock and he, well his character rather, smiled at her and then she looked away.

_You have come here_  
><em>In pursuit of your deepest urge<em>  
><em>In pursuit of that wish which till now<em>  
><em>Has been silent<em>  
><em>Silent.<em>

_I have brought you_  
><em>That our passions may fuse and merge<em>  
><em>In your mind you've already succumbed to me, dropped all defenses<em>  
><em>Completely succumbed to me<em>  
><em>Now you are here with me<em>  
><em>No second thoughts<em>  
><em>You've decided<em>  
><em>Decided.<em>

_Past the point of no return_  
><em>No backward glances<em>  
><em>Our games of make-believe are at an end.<em>

_Past all thought of "if" or "when"_  
><em>No use resisting<em>  
><em>Abandon thought and let the dream descend<em>

_What raging FIRE shall flood the soul_  
><em>What rich desire unlocks it's door<em>  
><em>What sweet seduction lies before us?<em>

_Past the point of no return_  
><em>The final threshold<em>  
><em>What warm unspoken secrets<em>  
><em>Will we learn<em>  
><em>Beyond the point of no return?<em>

Now it was Rachel's turn. She stood from her kneeling position and began to sing with as much passion as he'd ever heard from her.

_You have brought me_  
><em>To that moment when words run dry<em>  
><em>To that moment when speech disappears<em>  
><em>Into silence<em>  
><em>Silence.<em>

_I have come here,_  
><em>Hardly knowing the reason why<em>  
><em>In my mind I've already imagined<em>  
><em>Our bodies entwining<em>  
><em>Defenseless and silent,<em>  
><em>Now I am here with you<em>  
><em>No second thoughts<em>  
><em>I've decided<em>  
><em>Decided.<em>

_Past the point of no return_  
><em>No going back now<em>  
><em>Our passion-play has now at last begun.<em>

_Past all thought of right or wrong_  
><em>One final question<em>  
><em>How long should we two wait before we're one?<em>

_When will the blood begin to race_  
><em>The sleeping bud burst into bloom<em>  
><em>When will the flames at last CONSUME us?<em>She went from unsure Christine to the flirty and teasing Christine perfectly. As he moved with her and did the steps they had practiced for months.

_Past the point of no return_  
><em>The final threshold<em>  
><em>The bridge is crossed<em>  
><em>So stand and watch it burn<em>  
><em>We've passed the point of no return.<em>

They never touched, but the sexual tension was undeniable. He just hoped it wasn't as obvious to the audience- namely Jacob and Wesley- as it was to him. He was sure Libby could tell, though he honestly wasn't that concern. It was Rachel and by the look on her face, Wes wasn't her concern either. It was just them. It wasn't Christine and the Phantom, it was Rachel and Blaine. Rachel and Blaine singing their hearts to each other. Finally, the time came and Rachel found her way into Blaine arms. He gently turned around to sing the next part.

_Say you'll share with me_  
><em>One love, one lifetime<em>  
><em>Lead me, save me from my solitude<em>

_Say you want me_  
><em>With you here<em>  
><em>Beside you<em>  
><em>Anywhere you go<em>  
><em>Let me go too<em>

_Christine that's all I ask of... _That was when Rachel pulled his mask off and the audience got to see what his face really looked like (or rather, what the make-up made it look like). It was hard for him to tear himself away from her, but he had too. Immediately, they ran backstage to prepare for "Down Once More", which would prove difficult to the two. They didn't say a word as they prepared, there was no time for it.

When it was time for them to go back on, he yanked her hand they began to walk across stage as if he was dragging her onwards.

_Down once more to the dungeon of my black despair!_  
><em>Down we plunge to the prison of my mind!<em>  
><em>Down that path into darkness deep as hell!<em>  
><em>Why, you ask, was I bound and chained in this cold and dismal place?<em>  
><em>Not for any mortal sin, but the wickedness of my abhorrent face! <em>He yelled the last part, pushing Rachel down into the boat they had as he sang it. The audience gasped, but the other group was coming on stage and the attention was off of them for the moment.

* * *

><p>The play was good, Blaine and Rachel really had it. They <em>really <em>had it. They had the look and the tension that Wes had seen when Rachel forced him to watch _The Phantom of the Opera_. And Wes hated that. He'd never thought when he heard that Rachel and Blaine would star together that he would feel this watching the finished product.

He had a sick sense of satisfaction come over him when Blaine's face was revealed. He didn't care that it was fake. He heard a gasp behind him. As it turned out, Prince Jacob had ended up behind them and Wes guessed that Jacob sensed what had been going on as well. Though Jacob seemed excited. Why shouldn't he be? That wasn't his girlfriend singing and throwing herself around with another guy. Because Rachel was a good actress, but she wasn't that good. No one was. What he could see her feeling, that was genuine.

And that scared the crap outta him.

* * *

><p>It. Was. Time. Rachel had somewhat dreaded and somewhat waited impatiently for this moment. The kiss. She looked at Blaine, unsure if she'd even be able to sing.<p>

_Pitiful creature of darkness  
>What kind of life have you known?<br>God give me courage to show you  
>You are not alone!<em>

It just kinda happened after that. The kiss was natural and effortless, she was sure that it looked that way to the audience. Which was a bad thing. First of all, Wes was down there. Second of all, she wanted it to look forced. And it didn't, which made that first thing worse. Even though it felt like several minutes, it had only been a few seconds. On the other hand, what had felt like a few seconds happened over the course of a minute or two while she and Brad exited for the final time, singing "All I Ask of You." The bows felt even shorter.

She was nervous now. She was as she walked to the lobby to greet her friends. She kind of avoided Wesley, she knew that she was in for it when she did. She chatted with a few people, some were faces from her past and some were strangers, but she kept an eye out to see if Wesley was around.

"Excuse me, Miss Berry," a guy said, walking to her. She noticed his accent immediately, and guessed from his appearance who he was. Her nerves increased almost instantly after figuring out who exactly he was.

"Oh, Your Royal Highness," She said, curtsying the way Kurt had taught her. Blaine made it seem like his brother was down to earth, but she wasn't taking any chances.

"If you can call my brother Blaine, you can certainly call me Jacob." She smiled and nodded.

"I hope you enjoyed the show tonight."

"Very convincing; I was blown away!"

"Oh, well thank you!" She replied, blushing.

"Jacob, harassing my classmates already are you?"

"Of course not, Blaine," Jacob said, hugging his brother, "I was just congratulating Miss Berry on a fantastic performance."

"Oh yeah, you were fantastic Rachel. You'll get an A for sure!"

"Well I mean, I couldn't have done it without you Blaine. If Brad had been phantom this might have been a completely different story." Blaine just shook his head.

"Well thank you Rachel."

"Have you seen Wes? I haven't seen him at all!" This conversation was awkward and she wanted to remove herself from it. Even if that meant going to Wes, and she dreaded what would happen then.

"Was Wes the one I was sitting behind? He was still in the house last I saw." Rachel nodded.

"I'll leave you two to catch up. Good job, Blaine. It was nice to meet you Jacob."

"You as well, Rachel." She walked slowly to the entrance of the house, and she saw his head sticking out in the front.

"Hey," She said as she wrapped his arms around you from the front. Wes didn't seem to notice her at first, he appeared to be in deep thought. She knew what about too. She hated herself for that.

"Hey Rach," He finally said, looking up, "Good job tonight. You and Blaine... were great!"

"Thanks," She replied, kissing his cheek. He smiled at her and took her hand.

"You're welcome, babe. Are you ready to go? My mom wants to take us to dinner."

"Yeah, sure. Just go let me change."

"Alright."

* * *

><p>Something was up. Jacob hadn't seen his brother like this since Jeff had happened. He just hoped this time things would turn out better.<p>

"Mum would have liked this place," he said, looking around the restaurant Blaine had taken him too. Blaine nodded.

"I know."

"So tell me about Rachel."

"There's nothing to tell."

"Come on Blaine, I'm pretty sure you two would have had sex on stage if you could have. What's going on?"

"She's just a friend... that I really, really like. But she has a boyfriend and he's pretty cool. Plus one of my best friends from here used to date her and he's still in love with her..."

"You just can't seem to stay away from trouble, can you?"

"Not helping, Jacob!" Blaine grumbled.

"Look Blaine, you're going home in about a week. Just let things blow over while we're at home. Like you did in Scotland after Jeff happened."

"Yeah, I suppose the two weeks couldn't hurt. You done yet? I have an exam tomorrow morning."

"And I have to meet the mayor. Let's go."

**_So there we go. Next chapter will probably be up next weekend, but I'll certainly try to have it up sooner. And don't worry, seriously. Wes and Rachel are almost done. I'm actually starting to like them together, but I love Raine even more!  
>So I have a personal question. I want to go as a Warbler for Halloween. Does anyone know where I can get one of those supermegafoxyawesomehot Dalton patches? Let me know. I'll be eternally grateful!<br>Hope you guys enjoyed! Now onto Math homework and the Glee Project!  
>xoxo<br>_**


	11. New Beginnings

_**I forgot to mention that this chapter would be the beginning of second semester. So it's been about two weeks since the play. What's gonna happen? :D**_

**Chapter 11: New Beginnings **

Those two weeks didn't do any good on Blaine. Admittedly, the whole two weeks had been spent thinking about Rachel. Rachel, who had gone back to Lima with her boyfriend. They had chatted on facebook (yes, he had one) once or twice, but never for more than five minutes.

He paused, and took in his own apartment, it hadn't changed since he left. It was clean, but there was dirt in some places. He smiled, and sat on the bed. It wasn't that perfectly comfortable mattress from his grandmother's estate in Norfolk, and he was thankful. He had missed college life, and had all been too eager to return. Jacob insisted it was because of Rachel. And it was, but he had missed the little diner that his friends spent most of their nights in. He missed the Starbucks that was on the way to Professor Schuester's class. And most of all, he must being normal.

Blaine was thankful that Jacob had chosen to remain silent about Rachel. There had been several times that his brother could have outted him, most of those times being arguments with Julianna and Michael but he hadn't. The queen had inquired about possible suitors at Julliard and the surrounding universities, mentioning that Quinn Fabray was not an option, but Blaine had kept his mouth shut. For all he knew, Rachel had spent the two weeks with Wesley and had hardly sent him a thought. He wasn't about to get his grandmother's hopes up now. Besides, he also didn't want to hear Julianna's opinion on Rachel's American heritage, which would be stereotypical and unworthy of even being spoken.

Looking at his watch, he decided it was time for dinner. He was exhausted, but his stomach was growling. He had refused to eat on the plane- he got too motion sick and besides, he wasn't sure if I could trust the food. It might have been a private jet but it was still as disgusting as commercial food, he had found that out the hard way when he was a child. So it was time to go, Finn had texted him that he was down at the diner and Puck would be joining him soon so he figured he would just catch them.

He walked by Rachel's wide-open and peeked inside, seeing that Mercedes was nowhere to be found. So he knocked on the open door and step-inside. He saw Rachel hanging up a few sets of clothes in her closet, and she smiled when she saw him.

"Hey," She said, turning back to hanging one of her more formal dresses.

"Hey, how was your break?"

"Oh, it was cool. Two weeks of Kurt critiquing my performance and of trying to convince Tina and Mike to transfer. No big deal. How was yours?"

"Oh, we just spent it at Sandringham. The same thing we do every year."

"Sounds exciting." She replied, looking around. He chuckled lightly and nodded.

"I'm about to go grab dinner with Finn and Puck. Why don't you, Wes and Mercedes come along?"

"Mercedes isn't coming until tomorrow, she's in New Jersey. As for Wes... he's not coming back."

"What do you mean?" Blaine knew that he should be excited to hear that, but he wasn't. She had been crying and he hadn't even noticed. What in the world had happened? He had a feeling he knew, and he felt even more guilty.

"He... well... we... broke up."

"Why?"

"It was just a fight. He was tired of New York. We both said some things. It's done. Over with. He's going to the school Kurt's at."

"Oh," He replied, "Sorry."

"It's okay. So when is Libby coming back?"

"I don't know. I didn't talk to her at all while I was in England. I think we broke up."

"You think?"

"Well, we might have gotten in a fight the night before I left..."

"Oh wow. I neither of us really had a good break."

"My break was still good, I suppose. I found out father and Julianna are coming to visit."

"Oh?"

"Well, sorta. They're bringing Jacob to Niagara Falls for Valentine's Day. Would you like to come? I'm allowed to invite a few friends."

"Uh... Kurt's coming to visit that weekend. So no dice. Sorry."

"Why don't you invite Kurt? I'm sure he'd be thrilled!"

"He talked about meeting your brother all break, so yes, he would be. Go ahead and count us in. Are Puck or Finn going?"

"Oh yeah. Puck is. Finn said probably not, apparently this new girlfriend he has wouldn't be too thrilled about spending the weekend with a crazy prince and his family. I can't say I blame her."

"Oh yeah. She's something. She glared at me all throughout our Christmas-Hanukkah party."

"And he brought her back with him?"

"Yeah. She's staying with Puck's girlfriend, Lauren."

"Oh well. That'll be interesting."

"Yeah."

"So Rach..."

"Yes Blaine?"

"I really missed you while I was gone." She smiled sadly and looked away.

"I won't say you were far from my thoughts, cuz you weren't." Blaine smiled at her and gave her a quick hug.

"You ready to go? I'm starving, for lack of better term."

"Yeah. Let's go." She grabbed the trench coat Kurt had given her for Christmas and wrapped it around herself. When she was done, Blaine took her hand and they walked to the elevator and out of the building. When they stepped into the freezing January air of New York City, Blaine pushed her close to him in a failed attempt to keep her warm and they walked reluctantly to the diner, chatting about their break as if they hadn't been in relationships two weeks ago and as if they were sure about where they stood with each other.

Things were weird, but they didn't care right now. They were Rachel and Blaine, and they were going to get dinner with some friends. They'd worry about their status at another time.

_**This one is more of a filler. Sorry bout that, just wanted to introduce Niagara Falls. Yeah. That'll be the next chapter, if you're curious. Sorry about all the time flops, I just can't think of anything else to put in. But don't worry. Plenty of Raine in the next chapter :). **_  
><em><strong>I'm going on a six hour trip tomorrow to take my brother back to school, and I'm taking my computer so you'll have a new chapter by Thursday, probably. Niagara Falls will probably be two chapters at most, and then we'll probably skip about a year. I might end the fic at Niagara Falls and do a sequel, going from Junior Year to... well. We'll see. I'd love your opinion.<strong>_


	12. Niagara Falls

**Chapter 12: Niagara Falls**

"Well, here we are." Blaine said as they walked into their two bedroom suite. Puck dropped all the baggage he was carrying, and Kurt almost flipped out.

"Oh my Gaga!" He said, "Have you seen anything like this place?"

"Come on Kurt," Rachel said, "You promised you'd behave!"

"Sorry! I can't help it!"

"Kurt, come help me get the rest of the stuff from the car!"

"Coming Puck!" the room was silent after the two departed. Blaine and Rachel looked at each other and waited a second before coming together, kissing quickly.

"They'll catch us..." Rachel whispered. Blaine rolled his eyes.

"They won't. Besides, there won't be nearly as many times to do this once father and Julianna arrive. I'd much rather explain this to Puck and Kurt than to them..."

"Are you ever going to tell your family about me?" She asked, softly. He nodded and kissed her forehead.

"Of course I am, Rach. I just don't think you understand that after my family finds out, so will the press. And you don't want that, not yet. I want us to get through the beginning before anyone else gets involved." She frowned, but nodded.

"When are they getting here?" She asked softly, looking away.

"Later tonight." He replied, "Julianna insisted that they arrive at night. Not really sure about that one. But they rented a restaurant out at about eight."

"An entire restaurant?"

"Julianna."

"Not sure why I bothered asking." Blaine laughed and rolled his eyes. She responded by giving a quick kiss before moving away, hearing Kurt and Puck's voices drawing closer.

"I don't think anyone saw you and Lauren coming, Puck."

"Yeah, neither did I. But she's one hell of a woman, Kurt." Kurt just chuckled, and Rachel let them into the room and grabbed her suitcase to lessen the load that Kurt said.

"I for one think that you and Lauren are cute, Noah. She can certainly put you in your place she needs too." Puck just rolled his eyes.

"No puts Puckasaurus in his place. I'm the ambadassador of Awesome."

"That was bad Puckerman," Blaine said, "Even for you!"

"Hey man! Your daddy's not here yet! I can still kick your ass."

"Can't we all just get along?"

"For your sake, Berry, yes." Puck and Rachel quickly hugged, earning laughs from the other two in the room that soon became infectious.

"So what are we supposed to do while we wait for your folks?"

"I don't know, Puck. Jacob will go ballistic if we go to the Falls without him, so that's out. There's not much we really can do before dinner. So I guess we're stuck here. Wanna just watch tv or something?"

"Sounds good to me," Kurt replied, "Though I don't know what we could all watch. I highly doubt Puck is going to watch the Versace fashion show."

"Not in a million years, Hummel. We should watch the Indians game. It's on ESPN today."

"The Indians suck!" Rachel exclaimed.

"Remind me to never live with you guys!" Blaine said, shaking his head.

"Oh you know you love us!" Rachel replied. He smiled at her fondly, but avoided staring too long. She caught him, but looked away to Kurt, who still seemed blissfully unaware of the exchange.

"You all have your days..."

"Back at you, Warbler!" She replied, playfully swatting his arm. He chuckled and tried to swat back, but she was able to duck.

"Get a room you two!" A voice said. They all looked over, and were ecstatic to see that Jacob was standing at the door. As excited as they were, while Puck and Kurt were running over to great the younger prince, Rachel and Blaine shot a quick worried glance. When they had started their relationship, Blaine had told Rachel that Jacob would probably know without his brother telling him. She had accepted that, but a part of her clung to the hope that he wouldn't notice. He might have just arrived, but she couldn't help but wonder if there had been more to his statement.

"Not even going to say hello brother?" Jacob said, feigning hurt. Blaine just laughed and hugged his brother, though a part of him was still a bit suspicious of his brother.

"Where are father and Juli?"

"Already at the restaurant. They sent me to get you guys!"

"You guys ready?" Blaine asked, sighing. Leave it to his parents to pull something like that, to not even call and give a warning.

"Kurt might have to skip moisturizing for the umpteenth time but I'd say we're good," Puck answered, "Come on Berry! Let's get going!"

"The cold air isn't good for my skin, Puckerman! But whatever. Let's go." Kurt and Rachel hooked arms and they followed their friend downstairs, Rachel suddenly feeling nervous.

She didn't care if Blaine's father and step-mother didn't know about her, she couldn't help but feel scared.

"You okay, boo?" Kurt asked. She shrugged.

"Just a bit nervous."  
>"There's nothing to be afraid of Rach," Blaine said, over his shoulder, "Juliana may be a bitch but she's still human."<p>

"Watch your mouth, bro," Jacob said, allowing Rachel to climb into the car that Jacob had ridden in, "The press is all around. Imagine what grandmother would do if she saw that in the tabloids."

"You're right. She'd make me return home."

"And what would Rachel do without you?"

"Shut up, Puckerman." Rachel growled. She tried to act that one out, but she had a feeling that it came off as a bit defensive. Not good.

"Hiding something?" Jacob asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh yes brother, Rachel and I are madly in love and I'm going to abdicate the throne just to be with her."

"I'd believe it," Kurt said with a smile. Rachel tensed immediately- Kurt wasn't joking. She knew him well enough to know other wise.

"Look at Berry! She's blushing!" Puck teased.

"I need Mercedes!" She said, playfully, "She'd defend you."

"No she wouldn't!" Kurt replied, laughing.

"Yeah, yeah! I love you guys too!"

"Julliard wouldn't be the same without you, Rachel!" She smiled at Blaine, and then stuck her tongue out at Puck and Kurt.

"Well, I think we've found the future queen!" Jacob replied, "What do you say, sis?"

"I think we should let her call Quinn Fabray and rub her nose in it!"

"YES!" Rachel exclaimed, laughing at Blaine's comment, "Hand me your phone!"

"Sorry Rach," Jacob answered, "We're here!"

_**Next up (hopefully tomorrow), dinner and some Niagara drama. I really wanted this to be but I don't think I can continue this and it not suck. So sorry. It's been a long couple of days and I didn't want to go to bed without finishing this one. **_

_**I love you guys. Are you ready for the winner of The Glee Project? CUZ I AM! :D. Team Damian! 3**_


	13. Story Time

_**Part of this chapter will be told in flashback. We're finally gone learn what happened to Blaine at Dalton…  
>This chapter is so awkward, partially due to my lack of knowledge about how one behaves in the presence of Royalty. Please don't be offended. <strong>_

**Chapter 13: Story Time**

Rachel felt sorry for all of the employees that were running around and trying to make the night perfect for the royals that were visiting and from what they heard coming in, Juliana wasn't exactly making it easy.

The party was situated in the back of the restaurant, far away from the noise of the kitchen and from the workers that were driving themselves crazy. Before the group entered the room that Prince Michael and his wife were waiting in, Blaine hung back and grabbed Rachel's hand.

"Are you ready?" He whispered. She shrugged her shoulders and nodded.

"As I'll ever be," She whispered back. He let go of her hand and they walked in together, filling the final two seats that had yet to be occupied.

"You must be Miss Rachel Berry," Michael said, smiling. Rachel nodded and curtsied, a little unsure of what to say.

"Blaine talks about you all the time," Juliana added, "At least you're not that kid from Dalton Academy! I'll give you that!" Rachel said nothing. She still didn't know the entire story about what happened at Dalton between Blaine and that Jeff. Blaine kept promising to tell her soon, but he still hadn't.

"Jacob has said nothing but good things about your performance with Blaine as well. Both of my sons seem to be quite smitten by you, Miss Berry."

"Their Royal Highness-es are wonderful boys, sir," Rachel replied, "Both of them have been nothing but generous to me."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that. Blaine's behavior over here was something my mother and I worried about."

"I told you you had no reason to worry. Rachel and her roommate have been making sure I behave."

"Keep it up, Blaine," Juliana said, "Britain could do without you a little longer." Rachel cringed. _Ouch. _

"Well, I miss him," Jacob replied, coming to his brother's defense. Blaine and Rachel exchanged a quick look. She could see the hurt in his eyes. Despite his obvious disdain for his step-mother, she couldn't help but notice that that really hurt him. Especially since Juliana was one of the reasons he'd gone out of the UK for school.

"That's enough, dear," Michael muttered, picking at his food. Dinner went awkwardly after that. Rachel noticed early on that Juliana was comparing her to Jeff from Dalton, and it started to irk her. It visibly irked Blaine and even Jacob.

She was quiet all the way back. The more she thought about the situation, the more she got upset. Why hadn't he told her yet? Was it really that bad? When they arrived back at the resort, she ran to the elevator. That shocked all of her party, who forced Blaine to follow after her.

The door was closing, and she would finally get away for just a few seconds but then that hand ruined it all. Especially since it was Blaine's hand, he was the last person she wanted to see.

"What's wrong?" He asked, trying to stand next to her. She moved away before speaking.

"Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is to be compared to your boyfriend's ex BOYFRIEND that you still know nothing about?"

"I'm sorry Rach. But I told you that Juli was like that." She rolled her eyes.

"I don't care about what she said! I care that we've been going out for almost a month and you still haven't told me ANYTHING." About half-way through the sentence, the elevator stopped and the power went out. What happened?

"Dammit!" he said, more loudly than he planned on. It took his eyes a moment to adjust to the dark, but when they finally did he noticed that Rachel had sat down and had her head buried in her hands.

"Were you ever going to tell me?" She whispered after about a minute. He sighed and sat next to her and expected her to scoot away, but she didn't.

"Do you really wanna know?"

"Yes."

"Okay, Rach. It was two years before I graduated Dalton. I had four best friends- David Thompson, Nick Duval, Trent Nixon and Jeff Sterling. I was so excited for this year, because I would be allowed to share a room with David while Trent, Jeff, and Nick stayed next door..."

* * *

><p><em>Flashback 1<em>

_"Hey Dave!" Blaine exclaimed, walking into the dorm for the first time. _

_"Blaine!" David replied, shaking his hand. _

_"How was your summer?"_

_"Good! Stayed around while my father did... whatever he does. How about you?"_

_"I went to France with my mother's family. Came home for the important things, the same thing I do every summer." _

_"Sounds like your summer was raging!" A Voice said. Blaine turned around smiled, seeing Nick, Jeff and Trent were standing at the door. _

_"Not nearly exciting as your summer in Florida, huh Nick?" _

"_The girls… I'm going back next summer." They all laughed, and Trent checked his watch._

"_What do you guys say that we go get some lunch?"_

"_Yes! I'm starving!" Blaine exclaimed._

"_Starving?" Jeff retorted, "Do they not feed you in those limos and luxury cars?" _

_End Flashback 1_

* * *

><p>"Prior to that year, Jeff and I had never really been that close but it just so happened that we took several of our courses together, and we were both on the polo team and members of the Warblers for that matter. So we became very close. Jeff struggled in physics, so I took it upon myself to tutor him. That's when it happened. Trent and David were visiting their girlfriends at Crawford Country Day and Nick was with another one of his friends, working on some project. Jeff and I were in his dorm, studying after our Warblers rehearsal, and I was trying to explain to him velocity…"<p>

* * *

><p><em>Flashback 2<em>

"_So if velocity is equal to distance over time, then the velocity of rocket that had gone 1000 meters in 100 seconds would be…" _

"_10 meters per second?" Jeff whispered. _

"_You got it!" Blaine exclaimed. He didn't find the concept very hard, but while Jeff exceeded in literature, Blaine succeeded in physics. _

"_Thanks. I thought Isaacson was going to kill me after I could answer that question today!"_

"_It's no problem. Now tomorrow if he asks you- and he will- you can answer the question and blow his mind!" Jeff laughed. _

"_What time was it you said you had to call the queen?" _

"_In about ten minutes," Blaine answered, checking his watch._

"_They have you on a tight leash, don't they?" Blaine couldn't help but laugh, Jeff was probably the only person who would dare say that to him, besides maybe his brother. _

"_You have no idea. But I should go; grandmother always appreciates it when I call her early."_

"_Right. See you tomorrow, Blaine," Jeff replied, walking his friend to the door, "Thanks again." Blaine wasn't sure what was going on. His hand was on the doorknob, but he couldn't leave._

_He also wasn't sure what happened next. All he did know was that when Jeff kissed him, he didn't pull away. He was, for the first time since before his mother died years ago, truly happy. _

_End Flashback 2_

* * *

><p>"So that was it. Jeff and I dated for almost a year and the only people that knew where David, Trent and Nick, plus Jacob who kind of figured it out when he moved up to Dalton. It was great. Jeff had no qualms at dating secretly, though I always knew that he wanted to go public secretly and I really wanted to as well. I just wasn't sure how I could possibly tell grandmother and my father-"<p>

"So how did you get caught?" Rachel whispered.

"Father and Juli were coming to visit, to see how Jake was doing adjusting to his new school. We had about twenty minutes before they arrived, and I figured they'd go see Jake first, so Jeff was still in my dorm, even though David had fled in fear of my step-mother…"

* * *

><p><em>Flashback 3<em>

"_I wish you'd calm down," Jeff said. He was plopped on Blaine's bed, watching as his boyfriend paced the floor restlessly, "The man is only your father." _

"_It's not my father I'm worried about," Blaine replied, "It's Juli. Her presence alone is enough to make me want to pull my hair out." _

"_Come here." Blaine didn't want to comply, but he did. He allowed Jeff to wrap his arms around him, even though they could get caught at any moment._

"_They're not here to see you; they're here to see Jacob." _

"_I know, I know," the prince paused for a moment before looking up at his boyfriend and smiling, "You're amazing, you know that?" _

"_I'm glad you say so, sir," Jeff replied, chuckling, "I try for you." With that, he planted a kiss on Blaine's forehead. _

"_I wish it could always be this simple," Blaine whispered. _

"_We have no future," Jeff mumbled, "But I don't care."_

"_We have a future, Jeffrey Alexander Sterling, we do." _

"_You're expected to get married and produce an heir. That's something I can't do for you." _

"_I don't care about what's expected of me. I just care about you."_

"_What was that, Blaine?" _

"_Father!" Blaine exclaimed, jumping up. _

"_You have a duty, son. And you have a duty to do that with a woman, not some boy from Dalton Academy!"_

"_I told you this would happen, Mikey," Juliana sneered, "Did I not?" _

"_Shut up Juliana. I need to have a private word with my son. Both of you, get out of here!" _

_End Flashback 3_

* * *

><p>"What happened after that?" Rachel asked.<p>

"We called grandmother and he yelled at me about how I was a disgrace to the family and how I brought shame upon all of us… Though of course, the next time I saw grandmother she told me she would take Jeff over Juliana any day… Jeff was transferred out of Dalton the next day. According to David, Sir and Lady Sterling parents put him in some boarding school in Canada. I was sent to Scotland at the end of the year, and not France with my grandma and grandpa, and I had to let things blow over."

"Why could you have told me that?" She whispered, tears falling. Blaine could barely see the tears, but his heart broke regardless.

"I was… afraid, Rach. People in this world are so judgmental…"

"You were afraid I'd judge you?" She responded. Now she sounded angry. Uh-oh.

"I'm sorry! I just couldn't help it…"

"My fathers are gay, Blaine! I didn't know my birthmother till high school! I DON'T CARE THAT YOU WERE WITH ANOTHER GUY. I CARE THAT YOU DIDN'T TELL ME UNTIL WE WERE STUCK IN AN ELEVATOR TOGETHER AND I ALL BUT BEGGED YOU TOO!"

"Calm down, Rach," He said, soothingly, "I love you…"

"Don't touch me," She whispered, "I just need some time to think…" They were silent until the elevator started working and when they finally made it to their floor, she ran to her room. Puck and Kurt looked at him questioningly. He simply shrugged and ran to his and Puck's room.

He had a plan. He just had to resort to measures he wasn't really comfortable with.

To hell with that, though. Rachel Barbra Berry was worth it.


	14. Not Alone

**So I have a question. You know how people thought that Harry and Pippa were dating after the wedding… should I add some Jacob/Kurt romance in here? I've pondered it ever since I designated Kurt as this fic's Pippa! Lemme know what you think!**

**Also, if you have a tumblr, I've finally entered your world! Follow me at madamelaprincesse dot tumblr dot com if you please! Starting with this chapter, I'll post when this fic is updated and I'll try to let you know how any new chapters are working plus I'll start asking my questions there as well!**

**I love you guys for all the love and reviews you've given me. I've written on another account (as well as this one) and this is my most popular fic yet! Also, BriyerRose, what exactly happened will be explained soon, to Mercedes. That will probably be in the next chapter when they're back at Julliard. Whether or not Blaine or Rachel, or both of them, will tell the story to her is yet to be seen! **

**Chapter 14: Not Alone**

Rachel didn't leave her room at all that night. When Kurt went in their room around 10, she was sound asleep. After Blaine had left his room and fixed his appearance a little, he went straight to his father's suite next door and didn't return until 11:30. He asked Kurt to have Rachel ready for a 10 o'clock breakfast with his father and then he went to his room and to bed.

The next morning, around 7:30, Kurt wondered why Rachel would be having breakfast with Prince Michael. He had a suspicion, especially after last night, but he didn't want to say anything until those suspicions were confirmed. He sighed and poured Rachel's coffee. He wasn't looking forward to waking her up; he had really thought that she would be awake by now. She always woke up at 5 am sharp, and she had gone to bed fairly early- even for her! There were only a handful of times in his life that he had ever had to wake her up, and they never ever ended well.

"WAKE UP RACHEL!" He said, walking into the room. She groaned and turned over, trying so hard to make him go away without actually moving.

"NO!"

"You're getting up now, Rachel Barbra Berry! Prince Michael of Wales wants to have breakfast with _you_. So you have 10 minutes to shower and then we have to figure out what you're going to wear. NOW GO."

"Go away Kurt!"

"Come on. You only have 9 minutes now. GO."

"FINE."

It was about 10:15, but Rachel was still in the taped off area of the breakfast room by herself. She considered leaving, but she knew that Kurt would have her head if she did. Besides, she still didn't know what was going to happen with Blaine. She didn't want to give his father any reason at all to hate her, or the road ahead of her might be even rockier than it already was.

"Good morning Miss Berry!" She stood immediately and curtsied the way Blaine had taught her too just prior to coming. Kurt, apparently, had been on the right track… but she'd take Blaine's advice. He was, after all, the one who had dealt with this all of his life.

"Good morning, Your Highness," she replied after sitting.

"I apologize for my tardiness. I hope you were alright."

"I was fine sir." They began eating the pre-set breakfast. Rachel had never felt so self-conscious in her life. That wasn't say much, as she was never really one who was self conscious at all, but this was one of the worst feelings ever.

"Now I suppose you are wondering why I asked you here this morning."

"Yes, sir."

"My son came to me last night and told me that you were upset at him because he had delayed telling you about his days at Dalton Academy."

"Yes sir, that pretty much sums it up," She mumbled.

"Miss Berry, I'm going to be honest. There is only one woman in the world that I could say that Blaine has ever really loved and that was his mother. My mother has never even come close to the amount of love and affection he had- and still has- for his mother. The same could be said for Margaret's mother as well. He felt something for that boy he was with; the depression he went into afterwards proved that but Miss Berry, he really feels something for you. The way he spoke of you last night while we were speaking last night… the only person he has ever spoken of with as much adoration for was, in fact, his mother. To be honest again, he did not tell you because he was afraid it would even hurt you or cause you to walk away. He doesn't like hurting others, but he's also afraid of hurting himself."

"But sir," Rachel argued, "If he didn't want to hurt me, shouldn't he have told me sooner?"

"I'm not going to argue that, my dear, but what I'm trying to advise is that you don't let whatever you're feeling at this moment- hurt, jealously, anger or whatever- cause you to lose someone who absolutely adores you and someone that you clearly adore as well."

"Thank you, sir," She whispered.

"You're quite welcome, Miss Berry, and for the record, if you're as wonderful a girl as Blaine says you are- and I'm thinking that you are from what I saw last night and this morning- if and when you ever meet my mother, she'll approve of you no doubt!"

"Thank you once again."

"You're welcome. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go see my wife now. Will you be attending the Valentine's Party tonight?"

"I don't think my brother will let me skip it, sir."

"I'll be in attendance as well, for a little bit at least. I'll see you later tonight. Good day, Miss Berry."

"Good day, Your Highness." She stayed for a while, thinking. It wasn't until they all but kicked her out that she left, mind still racing.

* * *

><p>Blaine was nervous. He'd never done anything like this before; he just hoped Rachel would appreciate it. He knew she would… but there was that shadow of doubt that loomed over his head.<p>

"This better work!" Jacob said, "I like Rachel too much so if he doesn't work I might just go after her!" Blaine just glared at his brother, who took that as his cue to shut up.

"It'll work, Jacob. It has too!"

"… And the whole world will see if it doesn't…"

"GO AWAY JACOB!"

"You know I'm teasing you. You'll be fine."

* * *

><p>Rachel wasn't enjoying herself. Puck had been nice enough to escort her so Kurt could flirt all that he wanted. Puck did have Lauren and wouldn't be flirting with anyone. That, of course, didn't work out well. Puck spent the evening switching between Rachel and about four other girls. And unfortunately, Rachel got the short end of the stick.<p>

"Hey girl!" Someone yelled behind her, "You want some company?"

"Not really," She replied. This guy, wearing a red shirt and blue jeans with bushy hair, just laughed and pulled up a seat next to her.

"The name's Daniel. What's yours?"

"Rachel." She couldn't help but feel incredibly over dressed. Most everyone else was dressed like Daniel, with jeans and white or red tees. Kurt, however, had forced her to wear a white flowy dress and red heels, which happened to be killing her feet.

"Oh! I bet you're just here to see the princes…"

"No."

"I hear the older one's planning something for some chick."

"What?"

"Yeah. They met at Julliard or something."

"Excuse me," She said, getting up and trying to push her way through the crowd of people.

"Where ya going?"

"To find my boyfriend."

She didn't find him in time. She was almost to the stage when the DJ announced him. Then she saw him at the piano that had been at the edge of the stage all night. She stopped, dead in her tracks. What in the world was he going to do?

"Hi everyone," He said into the microphone, "I just wanted to sing a song to my girlfriend, Rachel Berry. I recently messed up and I was hoping she would forgive me." He started playing the piano then. She recognized the song instantly; it was a song by that guy from those Harry Potter musicals that Wes had forced her to watch… Darren Criss, right?

_I've been alone  
>Surrounded by darkness<br>I've seen how heartless  
>The world can be<em>

_I've seen you crying_  
><em>You felt like it's hopeless<em>  
><em>I'll always do my best<em>  
><em>To make you see<em>

_Baby, you're not alone_  
><em>Cause you're here with me<em>  
><em>And nothing's ever gonna bring us down<em>  
><em>Cause nothing can keep me from lovin' you<em>  
><em>And you know it's true<em>  
><em>It don't matter what'll come to be<em>  
><em>Our love is all we need to make it through<em>

_Now I know it ain't easy_  
><em>But it ain't hard trying<em>  
><em>Every time I see you smiling<em>  
><em>And I feel you so close to me<em>  
><em>And you tell me<em>

_Baby, you're not alone_  
><em>Cause you're here with me<em>  
><em>And nothing's ever gonna bring us down<em>  
><em>Cause nothing can keep me from lovin' you<em>  
><em>And you know it's true<em>  
><em>It don't matter what'll come to be<em>  
><em>Our love is all we need to make it through<em>

_I still have trouble_  
><em>I trip and stumble<em>  
><em>Trying to make sense of things sometimes<em>  
><em>I look for reasons<em>  
><em>But I don't need 'em<em>  
><em>All I need is to look in your eyes<em>  
><em>And I realize<em>

_Baby I'm not alone_  
><em>Cause you're here with me<em>  
><em>And nothing's ever gonna take us down<em>  
><em>Cause nothing can keep me from lovin' you<em>  
><em>And you know it's true<em>  
><em>It don't matter what'll come to be<em>  
><em>Our love is all we need to make it through, ooh<em>

_Cause you're here with me_  
><em>And nothing's ever gonna bring us down<em>  
><em>Cause nothing, nothing, nothing can keep me from lovin' you<em>  
><em>And you know it's true<em>  
><em>It don't matter what'll come to be<em>  
><em>You know our love is all we need<em>  
><em>Our love is all we need to make it through<em>

By half-way through the song, Puck had found Rachel and escorted her to the edge of the stage, right next to Michael and Juliana. When he was done, she couldn't help it… she ran onto that stage and flung her arms around her. Then, surprisingly, he kissed her.

The camera flashes were all around them. Some from the innocent guests of the resort, and other from the paparazzi that had snuck into the hotel when they got word that Prince Blaine had something planned for the evening. Blaine and Rachel didn't care.

They were public… and both of their worlds were about to change.

_**This had been the chapter I'd been anticipating the most. I really hope that you guys enjoy it! And I couldn't help it... Not Alone is, in fact, one of my favorite songs.**_

_**R&R, loves! And please, answer the above question! :)**_


	15. What Went Down

**More Flashbacks! Yay!**

**So, I have no artistic ability whatsoever. I would LOVE IT if someone could draw the kiss from the last chapter. Just a thought. I'd be FOREVER GRATEFUL. **

**Chapter 15: What Went Down**

As soon as Rachel Berry walked into her dorm on Sunday evening, she was bombarded with a flurry of magazines that happened to be on _her _bed.

"Oh common 'Cedes! You could have at least put them on your bed!" She whined, playfully. Blaine, who had followed her with her bag, laughed.

"Looks like we have some explaining to do."

"I figured," Rachel replied, "Where is this roommate of mine?"

"She texted me and told me that she went to go get some food," Kurt replied, sitting on Mercedes' bed, "And not to let you two leave until she got back."

"Traitor!" Rachel exclaimed.

"What? All I know is that you two are dating! I wanna know the story too!"

"Can you at least text her and tell her to get me a fruit bowl?"

"Sure. You want anything Blaine?"

"I'm good, thank you." Rachel and Blaine both sat in the little futon (that had been bought specifically for when Kurt visited) and waited. Neither of them said a word. They were both trying to figure out what exactly they should say.

Mercedes took longer than expected, so the young couple decided to take a look through the _People _magazine that was on Rachel's bed. They mainly looked through the pictures- they didn't really care about the article.

"I think this one is my favorite," Rachel said about the cover page. It showed right before Blaine had kissed her. The photographer had done an AMAZING job, as much as she hated to admit it.

"I like that one," Blaine replied, flipping to the article. It was the actual kiss.

"You guys are so funny!" Kurt said, looking over from the Patti LuPone article he had been reading.

"Oh please, Kurt. Like you wouldn't be doing this if it were you!" Rachel retorted.

"I never said I wouldn't!"

By the time Mercedes returned to the room, Rachel was starving and immediately began to eat. This left Blaine to tell the story, or at least to start.

"So spill, white boy."

"Well, did Rachel tell you about that first night back here?"

"How you too walked to Joanne's Dinner, yeah. Why?"

"Well, that night was great," He smiled when he saw Rachel nod in agreement, "When we got home… we might have gone to my dorm."

* * *

><p><em>Flashback 1<em>

_They were both a bit tipsy, but not too tipsy. How they'd gotten the waitress to get them alcohol was beyond them- actually it wasn't. Puck and Blaine were just too good looking. _

_In the present, they had discussed everything- to what they had gotten for Christmas to the actual break and what had happened._

"_So, I've got a confession to make," Rachel said._

"_What?" _

"_Wes and I… we didn't break up because he didn't want to come back to New York. Well, we did… but there was more too it."_

"_I'm listening." _

"_Well… he was jealous. Of you. Because of Phantom…" Blaine sighed. He had always known this, but that didn't make him feel any less guilty. _

"_I'm sorry Rach," He said. She nodded._

"_Don't be. The only fault you have is being so damn irresistible, and that of course can't be helped." He couldn't help but smirk._

"_I'm so damn irresistible?"_

"_I just said it, didn't I?" _

"_Well Rach, Libby wasn't exactly the biggest fan of Phantom either." _

"_I figured as much," She whispered. _

"_Look, Rachel, you know how I feel about you. And God do I want to be with you… Would you let me take you out, please?"_

"_I will," She replied, trying to keep her voice even, "But I make no promises on a relationship." He flashed her that charming smile that she would never get used too. _

"_Let's just see what happens." _

_End Flashback 1_

* * *

><p>"Mercedes, you remember that night that I told you that'd was going out with my friends from one of my classes?"<p>

"Yeah."

"Well, actually, Blaine and I went to see _Wicked _on Broadway."

"So that's why you never answered your phone!" Mercedes exclaimed. Neither Rachel nor Blaine could figure out if she was angry or teasing, so they chose to ignore the statement.

"It was a great night," Blaine said.

"One of the best nights of my life," Rachel added, "I'd been meaning to go see Wicked but I'd never gotten the chance once rehearsals got heavy…"

* * *

><p><em>Flashback 2<em>

"_That was simply amazing!" Blaine exclaimed as they walked out of the theatre. He wrapped an arm around his date's shoulders and pulled her close. _

"_Definitely worth the wait," She agreed, smiling. It started raining as they walked. Rachel didn't care that the dress she was wearing was going to be ruined, she was too busy laughing. Blaine couldn't help but laugh at Rachel's delight. He'd never ever seen her happy like that. He seized the opportunity and he kissed her. When they broke apart, they were all smiles._

_They walked back together, chatting as if it wasn't raining and they were getting drenched. When they reached the dorms, instead of going to hers, Rachel followed Blaine back to his. She wasn't ready to go back there. She'd had much too good a time for that. She knew Mercedes was still awake, so she was careful to be quiet while they passed._

_When they made it into the safety of his dorm, they started cracking up. He walked to his closet and got Rachel a towel so she could dry her hair. _

"_You look beautiful like that, you know." She smiled at him. _

"_You look like a wet puppy," She replied with a laugh, "And completely adorable." He smiled and grabbed some clothes to change into. _

"_I'll be right back. I've got some shorts and a tee out for you if you want them."_

"_Thank you," she replied. Then she was alone. She decided that, as much fun as the rain had been, wearing Blaine's clothes were certainly better than the cold she was sure to get if she didn't put on some dry clothes. She stripped silently and looked out the window as the rain fell when she was done. _

"_Excuse me Miss Berry, but you make my clothes look a million times better than I do." _

"_Don't sell yourself short." She replied with a smile, "You're irresistible, remember?" _

"_As are you, Rachel." He replied, lying on the bed. He motioned for her to join her, so she slowly laid close to him. _

"_Tonight was amazing. Thank you, Blaine. I don't know if I've ever had that much fun and you've seen my friends. That's a hard standard to meet." _

"_No, Rachel. Thank you for the best night of my life."_

* * *

><p>"What time did you really get home that night? You told me 2:30!" Mercedes exclaimed.<p>

"Well, 'Cedes, I didn't. I woke up in Blaine's room the next morning."

"So why did your bed look like it had been slept in?"

"I snuck in when I woke up and I messed it up a bit. You gotta believe me, Mercedes, I hated lying to you. I understand if you're angry."

"Just explain to me one thing," Kurt said, "Why did you decide to keep it secret?"

"When Rachel and I talked everything over and decided to make it official that morning, I suggested we keep it secret because you've got to understand, any relationship that I'm in is pretty much public domain. I wanted us to get through the beginning before I told anyone. Rachel wasn't too keen on the idea- mainly because she at least wanted to tell you guys- but I was able to convince her that it was for the better good."

"So are you guys mad?"Rachel asked.

"I would be," Mercedes said sternly, before breaking into a huge smile, "If you guys weren't too cute!" Rachel smiled at her best friend and gave her the hugest hug she possibly could.

"What about you, Kurt?" Blaine asked.

"My sister is dating the future king of England. HELL NO I'M NOT MAD!"

They hung out for a little while, just chatting. The talk barely focused on the newly public couple, and they were both grateful for that.

"Alright guys. I'm going to bed," Blaine said after about an hour. Rachel got up and followed him to the door, and they pecked lips quickly.

"Coffee tomorrow morning?" She asked.

"Sounds good. I'll meet you here at 7:50."

Rachel was a bit groggy as she and Blaine walked outside of their complex. Little did she know she was in for a huge wake up call. They saw the flashes as they prepared to leave the complex. She immediately squeezed Blaine's hand. She was terrified.

"I warned you," He said, "Though this is my fault…"

"I thought you said they couldn't come here!"

"They're not supposed to, but we're big news. They don't care." She sighed.

"I suppose I should get used to this." He smiled down at her.

"You read Rach?"

"As I'll ever be!"

_**Three Chapters in one weekend! I'm quite proud of myself :D. I haven't exactly figured out what will happen in the next chapter. I can pretty much guarantee that I'm gonna skip some time. Maybe a few months, maybe a year, maybe even two years. I don't know. I had this story mapped out, but my mind didn't like the directions. :D**_

_**Anyways, I love you guys! xoxo**_


	16. Freshman No More

**This is a few months later, and is mainly a filler to introduce a few things. Sorry guys! **

**Chapter 16: Freshmen No More  
>Four Months Later<strong>

It was the end of the year for the Julliard/NYU/Columbia University students. Everyone was packing up their dorms and getting ready to leave and have a few months off before returning to college life again in August to study theatre or law or public relations. Or some were lucky and were graduating, so they wouldn't have to return to the dorms again. But for all of them, it was time to clean up and get out, and to say goodbye to friends.

That's where one would find Rachel Berry, her roommate Mercedes Jones, her boyfriend Blaine and her brother Kurt. They were almost done with the Berry-Jones apartment, and then they would all go out to eat for the last time at Joanne's with Puck and Finn.

"I can't believe this year is over," Rachel said, sweeping the last bits of trash into the trashcan, "It's been so amazing!"

"I'm excited to be going home," Blaine admitted, "As much as I came here to get away from the UK and my step-mother, I can't say I haven't missed my brother, and even my father."

"And Rachel's going with you so we don't have to listen to her talk about how much she misses you!"

"Shut up Kurt! I'm only going for a month! I wanna see dad and daddy too, thank you!"

"And not me? I'm hurt."

"Yeah yeah. You'll hopefully be here next year anyways."

"That's something I actually wanted to talk about…" Kurt replied, solemnly.

"Did you not get in?" Mercedes asked.

"Well guys, I wanted to know what you would think if we were too… SHARE AN APARTMENT!"

"You got in?" Rachel asked, voice raising an octave from excitement.

"Kurt Hummel's going to Julliard!" Kurt exclaimed. Rachel embraced her brother, this was the best news she'd heard all week.

"When did you find out?" Mercedes asked. Kurt shrugged.

"Right before I came here to help you guys. I was dying to tell you guys when you picked me up but I couldn't do it!"

"I can't believe it!"

"Please, Rach! I just about passed out when I got my letter."

"I'm sure it can't be worse than what Rachel did!"

"What? Does it not seem like something that Azimio and Karofsky would do?"

"I wouldn't put forging an acceptance letter past Azimio, but I don't think he could figure out how to do." Kurt replied.

"So did daddies say that we could all room together?" Rachel asked, the voices of a shouting Santana Lopez and Quinn Fabray suddenly piercing their ears. How did they never get kicked out? Rachel and Mercedes had complained several times, but nothing ever of it.

"Yep! Me, you, Cedes and Blaine, if he wants!"

"I'm all for it. I'm sure my father would be more than willing to allow it too. As long as Rachel's willing to put up with me…" Rachel giggled and hit her boyfriend playfully.

"That sounds awesome." She replied, taking a look around the room. It was empty now, a little depressing. She and Blaine were leaving for England in the morning, and they'd stay there for about a week before spending a week in France with his mother's family and then they'd return to England again, for the final two weeks of her stay. She was excited.

"Well guys," Mercedes said, "Looks like we're done. I guess we'll leave our stuff here."

"Finn said he wanted to leave from the restaurant," Kurt replied, "So you and I have to take our stuff."

"You guys sure you don't wanna just stay with Rach and I tonight? I'm sure we could just upgrade to a penthouse…"

"No, we want you and Rachel to have a night alone before you leave. Besides, I'd rather leave late at night than early in the morning. I think we ALL feel like that." Kurt answered, that voice of finality in his voice.

"Well Rach and I were gonna check in before dinner. So I guess we'll meet you at the restaurant?"

"Yeah. Sounds good."

* * *

><p>Finn Hudson hated Prince Blaine of Wales. He couldn't believe Blaine would do that to him! He KNEW how Finn felt about Rachel, but he went on chasing her. What was worse was that they were going to England together, and not to Lima so Finn could at least keep an eye on them.<p>

It wasn't easy pretending that everything was okay as they had dinner together. Shit, Marcie was there. Shouldn't he be paying attention to her and NOT Rachel and Blaine?

"So where are you two staying tonight?" Marcie asked.

"The Hotel Plaza Athenee," Blaine replied, "It's in Upper East Side Manhattan."

"You never mentioned this Rachel!" Kurt exclaimed, "I've always wanted to stay there."

"Sorry, Kurt," Rachel replied, "I didn't even know until we got there."

Goodbyes were said and hugs were given, but Rachel and Blaine had finally made it to the night that they had most looked forward too: a night, alone, in a luxurious hotel room in Upper East Side.

When they arrived, they had received a bottle of champagne that they had opened quickly, even if they weren't supposed to drink. What Rachel had enjoyed most, however, was the arrangement of roses the hotel had done and all of the flower petals everywhere. Clearly, Blaine had gone for a romantic package for their short stay at the hotel.

"I can't believe you," She said later, as they were snuggled up in the bed watching _The Notebook_, "A romantic package?"

"It was father's idea," Blaine replied, "He seems to like you."

"Remind me to thank him at some point this month…" He chuckled and kissed her forehead.

"I'm so excited you're coming with me. Have I said that enough?"

"Not as excited as I am," She replied, smiling.

_**So the next chapter or two will be Rachel in England/France :) Sorry for the length once again guys! Next one will be longer :)**_


	17. England

_**So much for the original 23 chapters! Like I said, my creativity didn't like the roadmap my mind made :). I'm not complaining, I'm more than happy to write for you guys as long as you want me too :)**_

**Chapter 17: England**

Rachel Berry had never left North America. She'd been to Canada and even to Mexico, but had never actually left the continent. She had imagined that somewhere like Italy would be the first place she ever went to in Europe, but being in England, with her boyfriend (known to the people as their future king) was something she couldn't even begin to complain about. It was just amazing, having him show her around the town he grew up in as they passed the sites. She didn't think there could be anything more special.

"This beats Lima as a place to grow up by a long shot," She said with a smile. Blaine grinned and helped her out of the car that had finally arrived at his father's residence at Clarence House.

"I like Lima," He replied, grabbing her hand.

"Really?"

"You would think that growing up in a city like London would be an adventure, but to be honest Rachel, Lima's a nice town. Sure, the people are a bit close minded from what I've heard but I never had the opportunity to become so close to so many different people because this city is just so damn big."

"I was never really close with anyone in Lima…"

"You have Puck, Artie, Wes, Mike, Tina, Kurt, Lauren, Sam and Finn. I had David, Jeff, Trent and Nick. My list pales in comparison." She rolled her eyes and sat down in one of the many chairs in the sitting room. Her house in Lima wasn't even as big as this room, and her house was one of the bigger ones!

"Whatever you say, Blaine Warbler."

"So are you ready to see what it's really like in Clarence House?"

"Are you implying that I should be afraid?"

"…Maybe…"

"BLAINE!"

"You'll be fine, Rach. Everyone seems to like you, except maybe Juli, but no one cares about her opinion much. Except father, but he likes you. So it's cool."

"I find it adorable when you ramble," She said. He grinned.

"Shut up."

"Make me."

"...No…" They were silent; the sounds of footsteps approaching abruptly ended their conversation. The door swung open and it revealed none other than Jacob, he immediately ran and gave _Rachel_ a huge hug.

"HI SIS!" He exclaimed. She laughed- Jacob was certainly a character.

"Hey Jake!" She exclaimed. Blaine had to playfully pry his brother off of her, and by the time that had happened, they were all cracking up. What caused them to stop, however, was the arrival of Michael, without Juliana.

"How wonderful it is to see you, Miss Berry! How was your trip?"

"It was great, Your Highness." She replied. In truth, she had slept pretty much the entire time. While at the hotel, she and Blaine had gotten a grand total of about two hours of sleep. So they slept the plane ride away- it didn't feel like they'd missed much.

"That's good. Are you excited about your stay with us?"

"I am, sir! I've been excited since Blaine asked me to come!"

"Well, that's good to hear. I believe Jacob told me that he and his brother want to take you around tonight."

"I can't wait."

"But first, both Rach and I need some sleep."

* * *

><p>Cold. That's how Rachel Berry felt at the moment. There were people all around them, but they were silent and they respected Prince Jacob and the world's current "it" couple as they visited the late princess of Wales's memorial fountain in Hyde Park, across the way from Buckingham Palace. Tomorrow, the princes and the eldest's girlfriend would leave for their weeklong trip to France and though they would be returning, Blaine wanted to make sure Rachel would see this first.<p>

No one was more special to the late princess than her two sons. That's why, about five years after her death, her oldest took it upon himself to beg the queen for a memorial. It took months, but Alexandra finally relented. Blaine oversaw all of it. He may not have made all of the decisions, but he played a major part in them. It took about two years for constructions, and he had been the one that officially opened it to the world. The memorial was, really, his pride. He just hoped his mother would have liked it.

The memorial was simple and elegant; much like the princess had been herself. It was a beautiful fountain that stretched throughout the park so it could be accessible, also like the princess. There were very few times (if ever) that Margaret had refused to see people in need, even if it was dangerous to her health. She seemed to always be somewhere- in a cancer ward, the homeless, with people with AIDS or other diseases. She'd also been known to make a surprise appearance at a rally for homosexual rights. She was there for the people that she would one day rule over. That's why her death was one of the most heartbreaking experiences the country had ever been through.

Rachel broke from her trance for a moment, and noticed that Jacob hadn't moved an inch since they arrived. She also noticed that Blaine was actually sitting on the ground, appearing to be in deep thought. So slowly kneeled down next to him, and he almost instantly placed an arm around her waist to pull her closer. He rested his head on her shoulder and began to silently cry. Her heart broke instantly.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. It took him a second to look up, his eyes glazed with tears. He pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"I'm gonna protect you, Rach, no matter whatever happens between us. I'm gonna protect you."

"You can't protect me from Cancer, Blaine," She whispered back to him, "No matter what happened to your parents, you can't protect me from cancer anymore than your father could have given it to your mother." She paused, as if she was thinking for a second. She finally began to sing, softly.

"_Baby you're not alone,  
>Cuz you're here with me,<br>And nothing's ever gonna bring us down  
>Cuz nothing can keep me from loving you,<br>And you know it's true,  
>It doesn't matter what'll come to be,<br>Our love is all we need to make it through." _

_**Ending it there seems good, right? Next up is France, and then maybe another chapter in England. I know that the next school year is only gonna be like a chapter, because I would like to have them graduate at some point. I love you guys xoxo**_


	18. Bonjour de Paris

**Chapter 18: Bonjour de Paris! **

It was the city of lights, the city of magic… and the city of romance! Rachel Berry had looked forward to this all of her life- her first of many visits to Paris. She was enchanted by the beauty of the city and the rich history. She honestly felt like a child on Christmas. The only thing that could make it better was Kurt. But Blaine was here, and she knew that Kurt would come with her on many shopping trips and others, so she wasn't too upset.

"You look star-struck," Blaine whispered in her ear as they passed the Arc de Triomphe. She playfully hit him (which made Jacob, who was sitting on the other side of Blaine, laugh) and rolled her eyes. That boy was going to drive her insane. Not that that was a bad thing, of course. At least it was a good kind of insane and not the Quinn Fabray type of insane.

"Not all of us got to go to Paris every summer. I was lucky if we even left Lima!"

"I think it's adorable!"

"Shut up, Jacob!"

"Do you see how mean your boyfriend is to me?"

"Play nice you two!"

"…Yes mummy…"

"Shut up Jacob!"

"I just can't win with you two!" Blaine chuckled.

"I wonder if that's how Kurt feels when Rach and I are around…"

"How is Kurt?" Jacob inquired. Rachel had to fight back a smile. She knew for a fact that Jacob and Kurt had spent a large amount of time together in Niagara Falls. Kurt had been starstruck the entire ride home from the falls, much to Blaine's amusement. She knew Kurt, she knew that he was smitten by the prince, and from the looks of it, Jacob might feel the same.

"He's good. From what I've heard, he and his boyfriend just broke up, since he's heading to Julliard next year and Karofsky's… a Lima loser and well, Kurt doesn't want to be stuck in Lima. He thought this extra year was hell…"

"I'm sure it didn't help that his baby sister was in New York living her dream as well as his," Blaine replied with a smile.

"I'm only younger by two months!"

"And Blaine is only a year and a half older than me," Jacob said, grinning, "Doesn't stop him from treating me like I'm two years old!"

"Older siblings suck!" She fake pouted, crossing her arms.

"I'll say." Jacob replied.

"But at least I'm such a good boyfriend that I'm taking you to the Galeries Lafayette later."

"The man has a point…" Blaine smirked. They had arrived at his Aunt Adrienne's apartment, though they were apparently out in the city for whatever reason. That was nothing new; they were never home when the princes first arrived. This tradition had started the year after Margaret had passed. The boys spent the summer here in France, unless they were needed back in England, which was rarely. From the first year, the boys arrived to be cared for by the nanny of their cousins Charles and Celine, whose name was Martine. They were used to it, and they kind of enjoyed it. It wasn't that they disliked their family, they just preferred Celine's company in the beginning.

"Come on, I'll show you to our room." He said excitedly, grabbing her hand. He looked like a child wanting to show his best friend that awesome new gift he got for Christmas,

"How many rooms does this apartment have?" She asked with a laugh.

"Enough to have a room for Aunt Adrienne, Charles, Celine, me and Jacob to have our own rooms, and for Martine to have one."

"Six rooms? Really?"

"In two apartments. Celine and Charles have their own apartment, that's where Martine lives. We'll be staying with Aunt Adrienne."

"Oh… okay." They rode the elevator upstairs. Her heart was pounding. It wasn't like she was about to meet the queen, but that didn't make her any less terrified. They weren't even up there! Why was she so nervous?

"Really, why are you so nervous?" Jacob said with a laugh. She blushed. Did she really just think out loud?

"I'm never going to live that down am I?"

"I'm saving it for my best man speech!"

"Be nice to her Jacob or there might not be a best man speech!"

"Six months, Blaine Warbler? You were gonna propose at six months?" She joked. She didn't think it would be that funny, but he laughed.

"Yes, no, maybe, who would like to know?"

"Well, this conversation got awkward." Jacob exclaimed, "I'm so thankful that we're here."

"Come on Rach, you'll be fine. Adrienne's not even here yet, remember?"

"Give her some wine!"

"Shut up Jacob! I promised her dads I wouldn't let her drink!"

"They would do that," Rachel replied, rolling her eyes.

"She's a really good dancer when she's drunk though… isn't that what you told me?" She turned red immediately and hit Blaine on the arm.

"Really?"

"He asked how we met…"

"Professor Schuester's class wasn't a good answer?"

"That is true… I didn't even know your name until that class…"

"That'll be a great story for the best man speech too!"

"Blaine, would you be angry if I hit your brother?"

"Just do it before Marti gets here." She didn't hesitate to slap Jacob upside the head.

"I am so mistreated…"

"I'm gonna put that in _my _best man speech!" Blaine exclaimed.

"That's not happening for a long, long time!"

"I'm glad to see that you guys are getting along so well." The French accent was thick, and Rachel barely understood it, but both of the boys' faces brightened up as they ran to give the voice's owner a huge hug.

"Bonjour Marti!" Jacob exclaimed, "This is Rachel! She and Blaine are tots going out!"

"You play a teenage girl quite well, brother!" Blaine said. Martine chuckled.

"I try, I try!"

"Bienvenue Rachel! Is this your first time in Paris?"

"Oui," Rachel answered shyly.

"We're only here for a minute, Marti, I'm taking Rachel shopping and… Jacob is doing whatever he does when he's here. Probably going to see Jacqueline."

"That was my plan," He replied, smiling.

"Well, your Aunt Adrienne will be here for supper so I suggest if you're going you go now."

"Right," Blaine said, "Bye Marti, we'll see you in a few hours."

_**Like I said on tumblr, this will be two chapters. Next up will be shopping, and I have something special planned. I'll get working on it now and I'll hopefully have it up tonight, but I make no promises. I have a government assignment I need to start working on. **_


	19. The Key to Your Heart

**Chapter 19: The Key to Your Heart**

It was hard to shop for Rachel Berry. This had been the part of the trip that Blaine had looked forward too the most, but she would have none of that. Already they had been in about four stores, and she had tried on several dresses, shoes, and other articles of clothing but she refused to allow him to buy any of it. She was so stubborn about it, the moment he pulled his wallet out she would immediately shoot him "the look" and would begin to protest. The argument ended a minute later, he always lost.

"Come on Rach," He said, grabbing her hand, "I want to spoil you, what's wrong with that?" They had just left their fifth store, and she had tried on a beautiful komodo styled dress that she had looked absolutely gorgeous in. The same thing had happened as it had in the other stores.

"Blaine… you don't get it."

"Get what?"

"I'm an American girl dating a British prince… I just don't wanna come off as… a, well, a gold digger."

"I know that's not the case. Isn't that what matters?"

"Yeah… but… I just…"

"It'll be okay, I promise. I just have a stop to make, and then we can head back and watch a movie or something. Is that okay?"

"Yeah."

"Now come on," he said, dragging her along.

"Where are we going?"

"To pick something up."

"Oh." They ended up at the jewelry store that was at the entrance they had come in at.

"Pick up for Blaine Wales, monsieur."

"What is it we're picking up?" She asked, once the man had disappeared to the back. He just smiled and shook his head.

"You'll see…"

"Blaine Warbler, if that's an engagement ring…"

"It's not, Rach. Trust me, you would know if it was."

"Well I mean, with all that talk you and Jacob were having about best men speeches… I thought you were kidding but you can never be too sure with you too!" He laughed.

"That is true. But when and if we do get engaged, I'll be going through my family's heirlooms before we go shopping. Tradition, ya know?" She smiled and nodded.

"Then what can we possibly be doing here?"

"Here you go, Monsieur Wales. I hope it is to your liking."

"Merci beaucoup! Au revoir!" The two left the little shop and they rode back to the apartment. There was some small talk, but every time Rachel asked about the box Blaine now had, he deflected the questions. When they reached the apartment, they found it empty. Of course, there were still a few hours until Adrienne, Celine and Charles returned!

"Well, Jake is still with Jacqueline, so I don't wanna eat. Why don't we watch a movie?"

"Sure. What did you have in mind?"

"How about a SING A LONG?"

"Do you even have to ask?" He smiled.

"_Anastasia_ then?"

"YES! One of my all-time favorites."

Rachel Berry was proud to admit that she had been able to sing every song in the classic movie. She had loved _Anastasia_ as a child, she had even sung "Once Upon a December" for a pageant. Blaine wasn't as familiar with the movie, having only seen it once before going to New York, but he did keep up. In a sense, it was "their" movie. Yes, Rachel had grown up with it, but it was the movie that the two always watched when they had nothing better too. Well, that and Aladdin. After Blaine had watched _Anastasia _for the second time, he immediately went out and bought a copy of it. They had watched it after their first date, that night in the hotel, and now here they were watching it.

They were getting to her favorite part, the song "Paris Holds the Key to Your Heart," when he paused the movie. She mock glared up at him, and crossed her arm. He just smiled and chuckled- she was so cute when she got like that!

"Come on, the sun's starting to set and I want you to see this!"

The balcony to the apartment was beautiful. They were pretty high up, so they could see most of the city. What Rachel enjoyed seeing best was the Eiffel Tower. The colors blended behind it so perfectly, she couldn't help but be She gripped the rail of the balcony, and just kind of stared. She was barely aware when Blaine wrapped his arm around her and began to sing into her ear. It took her a moment to sing back.

_Paris holds the key to l'amor  
>And not even Freud knows the cure<em>

_There's love in the air  
><em>_At the Follies Bergere_

They both were in a trance for a moment, but Blaine did eventually grab her hand and lead her to the porch swing.

"So there was another reason I asked you out here…"

"Blaine Warbler always has other motives…" She said, poking her tongue out. He sighed.

"Well, Rach, you asked me all the way home about what I picked up at the jewelry store. So I figured I'd show you…" he took the box out of his pocket and handed it to her. She hesitated before opening it. Then she gasped. It. Was. Perfect.

He loved her reaction. He couldn't stop smiling while he put the necklace on her. He could feel her happiness radiating, and that just made them all the better. He had put a lot of thought in just what kind of necklace to get Rachel. When he was browsing through catalogs, he found one that was meant to look like a skeleton key. When he had called the jeweler, he had asked if it was possible to get a golden star to add to the necklace. Being a prince had its perks, because the jeweler agreed immediately.

"Thank you, Blaine," She whispered. He grinned and kissed the back of her neck.

"Anything for you, babe. I love you!"

"I love you too!"

**_So this isn't exactly how I wanted the chapter to turn out but I wanted to get it done. In case you didn't see on tumblr, I had the chapter written but then I lost it because of my flashdrive :O. I was gonna rewrite it some on Thursday night, but then I ran outta time and then I got my wisdom teeth pulled on Friday, so I was too sick to start writing till Sunday. So that's why this took so long and why I wanted to go ahead and upload. _**

**_Anyways, next we learn something interesting about our favorite prince. :)_**

**_love you guys xoxo_**


	20. Cooking

_**So I gotta apologize for the last chapter, I was on painkillers so if it was jumpy or anything… my bad.  
>I'm also sorry for the delay. I have terrible, terrible writer's block!<strong>_

**Chapter 20: Cooking**

After Kurt, Mercedes, Rachel and Blaine into their apartment, it didn't take long to figure out that Blaine couldn't cook. They weren't surprised- Mercedes and Rachel had never seen him eat anything that someone else hadn't prepared for him and well, he didn't exactly have to cook for himself back in England. One night a week for about a month, they'd asked Blaine to cook dinner. They always ended up ordering pizza that night.

This didn't bother Rachel, who seldom ate what the others had, until Blaine came to her with the idea of going vegan himself. She let him try cooking once, but after that he stuck observing. She would let him cook once a week, but only under the strictest supervision. That stopped, however, when Rachel returned to the apartment after Christmas Break to find that Blaine had made their favorite vegan pizza as a surprise. It was flawless, and after that she trusted him completely to make their meals every once in a while without having to worry about it. Things went flawlessly for weeks after that. He seemed to be getting better with every meal, and once and a while Kurt and Mercedes would even have dinner with them.

The incident happened around the second week of April. Rachel was writing a paper for Professor Schuester's class, Kurt was off at his rehearsal, and Mercedes was at the NYU football game, cheering on her new boyfriend, Sam, who was the quarterback. And Blaine, well, Blaine was cooking dinner.

"SHIT!" Rachel heard.

"You okay?" She asked, not looking from the laptop. It took her a second, but she realized that something stunk. What had the boy done this time?

"Yeah."

"You need me to come in there?"

"…No…" She sighed, she trusted him to fix it. So she would continue. After a few minutes of more profanity (she hadn't even known that he could say anything worse than "damn.") and the smell of something burning, she finally placed her laptop aside and made her way to the kitchen.

"Dinner's burned," was the first thing Blaine said when he noticed her. He looked like a sad little puppy, and she smiled despite herself.

"No one's perfect," She said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"My mum was. She made dinner for us twice a week. She was supposed to teach me but…"

"You couldn't ask anyone?"

"Juli never let me go into the kitchen. Cooking isn't a skill a future king needs or something."

"How did your dad and Juli meet anyways?"

"Oh, they met before he was married and they met while he was married. She was an old flame that never really died. The only time they even came close to diminishing was after my mum got diagnosed. But a few months after she died it was like they'd been together the whole time."

"Is that why you and Jake hate her so much?"

"Well, yeah. That and she really does love my dad, but she obviously loves his position more. I always promised grandmother that I would always be absolutely positive that any person that I even considered starting a relationship would be with me for me."

"I love you," She whispered.

"Love you too, Rach." They were both silent for a few second, but then Rachel finally remembered the most important question that she could ask at the moment.

"What in the world were you cooking anyways?"

"Oh, it was just a dessert Puck got from Lauren. I thought you'd like it. I was gonna make dinner when I was done…"

"Well here, I think we have some salad left over from last night. Why don't we just eat that, and when we're done we'll clean up this mess and try again. Together."

"Sure."

Dinner was uneventful. He asked about her rehearsals and if she had any new auditions coming up. The answer was a simple no, before the conversation turned to him. How was his ailing cousin? Had he heard from his grandmother? What about his father? Or Jacob? She was fine, Grandmother says she wants to meet you, father sends his best, Jacob misses you.

The fun started when Blaine returned from throwing the pan that he had ruined. Turns out, Blaine had tried to make a vegan apple crumble, and she had to admit… that did sound really good. He just… she wasn't really sure what had happened.

"You know, you should have gone to culinary school!" She said while she was cutting apples, he rolled his eyes.

"Rachel Barbra Berry, that was probably the worst joke to ever come from your mouth. And I mean, there have been some bad ones."

"Excuse me! We can't all be comedians!" She giggled, and then (in a moment of maturity) threw some of the apples at him. Then her giggles turned into full on laughter, especially after he threw some of the flour at her. That's when he started laughing and the food fight began. They through anything they could at each other- cereal, soft fruits, spices, butter, literally anything that wouldn't hurt the other person.

They were still in fits of giggles when they finally called a cease-fire. They looked around the kitchen, admiring their work, and the giggles came back, stronger than ever.

"Kurt and Mercedes are going to kill us." Rachel finally said.

"No, that had to be the funniest thing I've ever seen," Kurt answered, making his presence known, "And I got it on film for Mercedes and all of the New Directions. And Jacob."

"Oh if my father saw me now… Make sure you tell Jake NOT to show it to him."

"Fine. But you two get cleaning. Yourselves and the kitchen need a serious scrubbing."

Neither Blaine nor Rachel got the bed till about three o'clock that morning. They'd taken their time cleaning the kitchen, in no hurry at all. In fact, they almost got into a water fight around 1:30, but unfortunately, that was when Mercedes walked in and threatened to hide Blaine's hair gel if they didn't get working. So they kept on.

They both opted to just sleep in Blaine's bed when they were done, not really concerned about how messy they still were. They'd worry about that in the morning.

And as much as they hated to admit it, that had to be the most hilarious night of both of their lives. And it was a shame that they only had a year to really try and top it.

_**So yeah. There ya go. Sorry again for the delay. **_

_**Next up is graduation. Finally, right? **_


	21. Graduation

**Chapter 21: Graduation**

"Prince Blaine of Wales is graduating today from the Julliard School. Graduating with him is his longtime girlfriend, Rachel Berry of Lima, Ohio. No word yet if the prince plans to propose to Miss Berry after graduation, but Clarence House has confirmed that the prince will be heading to Sandhurst for military training now that he has graduated, following in the footsteps of his younger brother, Prince Jacob... Miss Berry is rumored to be moving into a flat in Chelsea that her parents, Hiram and Leroy Berry, have rented for her. She is also rumored to be starring as Eva in the upcoming West End production in _Evita…_" from her hotel room in the Upper East Side, Queen Alexandra switched off her television. Her husband, Prince Edward, was getting ready in the bathroom but she was ready to see her grandson graduate. She was also eager to meet this Rachel girl Blaine seemed so smitten with.

"We really should be going now, Alex, Michael will be calling any minute."

"You're right, of course. What do you think Blaine will look like?" Edward chuckled and kissed his wife's forehead.

"I think he'll look the same. You act like you haven't seen him at all since he arrived. Michael has assured me though that he takes after Margaret in his need to be one of the people, and this Rachel has certainly helped with that desire. Who else in this family can cook without burning the kitchen down?"

"Do you think Rachel could be queen one day? Blaine obviously has no intention of ending it with her anytime soon…"

"I've heard very much about her from our son. From what I have heard, she reminds me of Margaret," Edward said, smiling, "Which is probably why Blaine is attracted to her. So yes. I think she'll be a great queen if she is given the opportunity."

"Better than Juliana?"

"Anyone could be better than Juliana," Edward replied, disdain evident in his tone. Contrary to popular opinion, he was very fond of his late daughter-in-law, as was Alexandra. They weren't so fond of their current daughter-in-law, however. She was vulgar and disrespectful. No, Juliana was not the woman that Alexandra wanted to be queen after she was gone. However, Michael wouldn't give up the throne. The queen certainly didn't blame her son, he'd been taught to be king since he was younger than Blaine. It wasn't fair for Alexandra to ask her son to pass his throne to his son, and she felt guilty about the number of times that she'd asked him to do it. It wasn't just Juliana on the throne that Alexandra was worried about though. There were other factors, including Michael's plummeting popularity that played a role. She sighed and adjusted her red hat. It was time to go.

It was that day. The day that both Blaine and Rachel's lives would change. They had both looked forward to it, but they also dreaded it. After this, it would be nothing but separations and stress. Rachel would be on West End, Blaine at Sandhurst. Her intense rehearsal/performance schedule and his training schedule wouldn't make much time to be together. They couldn't even get married yet. Blaine wanted Rachel to be able to have some time on the stage before they married, they'd talked about it extensively since the engagement rumors started popping up. He wanted to give her at least three years on the stage before marriage was even considered. He would wait longer, he claimed, if she wanted to stay even longer.

That thought was pushed to the back of their mind. The news was going in the background, and they were dressing. Rachel was wearing a sleek (yet still modest) black dress that Kurt had helped her pick out. He refused to let to allow his sister to look anything less than fabulous at her graduation, especially since the possibility of Rachel meeting the queen were pretty high at this point in time.

Blaine was just wearing a nice white shirt and black pants watched her as she did her hair. She had no idea that he was watching her; he was quiet as a mouse. Quietly, I he crept behind her and when he finally made it, he began to rub her back. She smiled and looked up, he could see in her eyes how terrified she was.

"What are you so nervous about?" he asked, kneeling next to her.

"Oh… we're graduating. My family is here, your family is here…"

"Are you nervous about meeting my grandmother?"

"…Maybe…" he smiled at her and put his hand on her knee.

"Why would you be nervous about that? You've charmed my father and Juli doesn't hate you! You're guaranteed to impress Grandmother!" She sighed, and began to brush her hair more.

"What if she doesn't like me, Blaine? Am I good enough to meet the queen of England? Will she look down on me because I'm not Quinn Fabray and the daughter of a duke…"

"First of all, Grandmother cannot stand Quinn Fabray, or her father for that matter. Second, Rach, you're incredible. She doesn't care if you're not of noble birth, she doesn't even care that you're not British! She's just going to care that you're a good person, and nothing like Juliana."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive Rach, there's no need to worry. I promise." She leaned down to kiss him, and when they broke apart they pressed their foreheads together. Rachel closed her eyes. Couldn't it just stay like this?

Rachel had just been called. Blaine silently cheered for her while she received her honors and then silently walked from the stage. He could hear her parents (including Shelby, her birth mother) going insane, as well as Kurt. He looked over to the private area that his family had been given. The queen was watching his recently graduated girlfriend intently. She appeared to like what she saw thus far, which was a good sign.

The line kept moving. Rachel took her place with the others that had already been through. Blaine waited patiently; he would be one of the last to graduate. The school had offered to allow him to graduate first, but Blaine would have none of it. He was a normal student, not a prince. He wanted to special treatment, especially over something that was as trivial as graduation order. Still, he wished his father had been made the duke of someplace like Cambridge, or Clarence, or even Albany.

"Blaine Wales." The place erupted. Of course, he should have expected that. He still couldn't figure out just what people found so interesting about him, even when he graduated from a performing arts school like Julliard. He sighed, and smiled at Rachel as he passed her. She smiled back. She was absolutely beaming. She'd made it. The only way left to go was up in her eyes! Seeing that made him smile, and feel a little better about the uncertainty of their future.

After the ceremony, Rachel went to find her family while Blaine went to find his. The queen, who was overcome with pride for her grandson, actually gave him a hug in public! Blaine didn't feel uncomfortable about it, and neither was anyone in the family. A few outsiders gasped, but for the most part it was a sweet moment. It was no secret to the world just how close Alexandra and Blaine were anyways.

"Congratulations son!" Michael said, giving his son a handshake. Prince Edward followed and then Blaine and Jacob hugged.

"Where's Rachel, brother?" Jake asked. Blaine looked around. She had wanted to talk to Shelby, Hiram and Leroy before taking them to meet his family. He couldn't blame her, she was still nervous as well.

"We're going out to dinner with her and her family later, we've already made reservations at Alain Ducasse at the Essex House Restaurant." Jacob nodded.

"Will Kurt be there?"

"Duh." Blaine replied with a smile.

"Now, now boys," Alexandra said, fanning herself with the program. This was hardly a conversation for the press to hear about. Personally, she didn't care who Jacob loved but she knew some of the people in England wouldn't be so generous. She hadn't even minded that boy from Dalton Academy that Blaine became involved with. It'd be a good change for her country if they were to have a King and a prince, or two kings.

"Our apologies Grandmother," Blaine said, smiling, "We can go now if you would like. Our reservation is at 6:30 because the Berries are going to see Godspell on Broadway at eight."

"Very well then, Blaine. Why don't you give us a tour of the city?" Blaine smiled and nodded.

"Sure thing, grandmother."

_**Next up, Rachel meets the queen! What's gonna happen? **___


	22. Meeting the Queen

**Chapter 22: Meeting the Queen**

Kurt insisted on doing Rachel's hair and make-up once again. Rachel hadn't met the queen after graduation, but they were going to dinner with her. She had to look flawless, like a princess.

"Nervous yet?" He asked, releasing her curling iron from her hair. Rachel nodded and sighed.

"Blaine went on a tirade this morning about how I shouldn't be, and it calmed my nerves a bit, but they're creeping back up on me."

"Well Rach, it's not everyday that some chick from Lima gets to have dinner with her boyfriend's grandmother who just happens to be the queen of England. They might induct you into the Lima Hall of Fame for this!"

"Lima has a hall of fame? For who?"

"You. And me. After I graduate."

"Rachel Berry and Kurt Hummel. The only two people from Lima that anyone cares about!"

"That's not true," Shelby said, walking in, "I'm from Lima!" Both Rachel and Kurt looked up and smiled. Kurt adored Shelby, he thought she was simply fabulous, and Rachel was glad to have her mom in her life. She only secretly wished that Kurt had been given the same opportunity.

"It must just run in the family," Kurt said, trying to focus back on Rachel's hair. Shelby watched at the foot of Rachel's bed. She noticed how close Kurt and Rachel were. Kurt would be a senior next year. Then he planned to move to England with Rachel.

England was still a sore subject for her. She was glad Rachel was happy, and she certainly couldn't complain that her daughter was dating a prince, especially one as sweet and charming as Blaine. She knew that Rachel and Blaine had dated for nearly three years, but something about her daughter moving across the Atlantic to be with him (only on weekends at that!) made her feel uncomfortable. Was it just because Rachel and she had finally formed that mother-daughter bond that she always dreamed of, or what?

"Kurt?" She said once Kurt had finished, "Do you mind if I help Rachel get dressed? I just need to talk to my daughter."

"Sure thing, Shelby," Kurt replied, "I'll be with my dads getting dressed if you need me." Kurt stepped out, and Shelby looked at the nice midnight blue dress hanging on Rachel's closet door. She smiled; it was gorgeous and conservative- perfect for dinner with the queen.

"Kurt really does know how to pick a dress."

"Oh I know!" Rachel squealed, "It's amazing!"

"So you're meeting the queen tonight. Excited?"

"Nerves and excitement, really. Blaine speaks very highly of both his grandmother and grandfather. If I ever get over the fact that it's Queen Alexandra and Prince Edward, I might be more excited." Shelby smiled.

"You're sure you want to go all the way to England with him?"

"Yes, mom. I love him. Very much."

"Are you two ever going to get married?"

"We're waiting?"

"Don't wait too long, Rach. I don't want you to waste your life waiting on some prince, okay?"

"Yes, mom!"

"Okay. Now come on, you have to be at the restaurant in 45 minutes…"

* * *

><p>Blaine had told Rachel that they should arrive after he had, and that he would text her when his family left the hotel. So that's what happened. He was sitting at the table, Juliana babbling about how terrible the service was, and trying to talk to his grandmother over Julaina's complaints.<p>

"When will she be here?" His grandmother asked. He looked up, and saw Rachel and Kurt strolling to the table.

"She's here now, Grandmother." Jacob said. Blaine smiled at his brother, gratefully. Rachel looked outstanding, Blaine had no idea just what to say. The queen stood (_**Let's remember that Crista knows nothing about etiquette…) **_and Rachel immediately curtsied, and waited to be spoken too.

"Good evening, Miss Berry. It is a pleasure for Prince Edward and I to meet you!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty! It is a pleasure to meet you as well."

"The pleasure is all mine, dear. Who is this that you have brought with you?"

"My brother, Kurt Hummel, ma'am."

"Well, Mr. Hummel, it is a pleasure to meet you as well."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Kurt stammered, bowing his head the way Blaine had showed him. He had not expected the queen to even notice him; he expected the night to be about Rachel and for once that was what he wanted. He could have his night next year.

"If you both would sit, I'd love to have an opportunity to get to know you both!" The queen said. Both Kurt and Rachel silently obeyed, Rachel slipping into the seat next to Blaine, and Kurt in between his sister and Jacob.

"You're doing well," Blaine whispered, "Calm down. She likes you. She's been talking about meeting you all afternoon, even as I was showing her around." Rachel nodded, and began to sip the wine that the waiters had brought. She hoped her shaking wasn't too noticeable.

"Congratulations are due, Miss Berry. The ceremony this afternoon was wonderful." Michael said. The waiter had just brought them salad, and everyone had begun to eat. As she ate, Rachel began to calm down. She was a little disturbed by that, but she ignored it. At least she was calming down; she was barely shaking at this point.

"Thank you, Your Royal Highness." She said. Blaine, unexpectedly, grabbed her hand from underneath the table and gave it a squeeze. Obviously she was still visibly nervous. Figured.

Their entrees finally came, and they ate silently. The only thing that could be heard was the waiters and chefs scuffling around. It reminded Rachel of when she first met Prince Michael and Juliana.

"I've heard many wonderful things about your performances from my son and grandsons, plus my granddaughter," Rachel smiled, remembering when Blaine's cousin Ariel came to a performance of _Beauty and the Beast, _starring Rachel and that guy Brad, "And now we here you are going to be on West End-"

"That's not too important, anyone could prance on stage." The queen sent a soft glare to her daughter-in-law, and Juliana knew to shut up immediately. Rachel had to suppress a smile- Blaine wasn't kidding when he said the only person in his family that liked his stepmother was his father.

"I've dreamed of this since I was little, sir," Rachel said, blushing, "Both Kurt and I have. Of course, I thought I would I would be on Broadway, I've never even dreamed of West End. I am honored, however. It is a dream come true."

"Blaine's already making arrangements for us to attend your first night," Jacob said, smirking at his brother, "He's just about as excited as you are!"

"I don't know if that's possible," Kurt interjected, "I don't think she's frowned once since the casting director called her the first time."

"It's quite the accomplishment," Michael agreed, "And from what I hear, you'll be joining her soon, Mr. Hummel."

"If I can help it, Your Highness," Kurt replied with a smile, "I can't have Rachel stealing all the spotlight…"

"That's just not Kurt!" Rachel finished. The queen examined both Rachel and her brother. Obviously, one of them was adopted, and from what Blaine had told her it was Kurt. They seemed like brother and sister, however, and a lot like best friends. A lot like Jacob and Blaine. She felt grateful for that, because if things got anymore serious between Rachel and Blaine, Rachel would need someone to help her through tough times. She certainly had that in Kurt.

The rest of the night passed peacefully. At 7:30, Blaine escorted Rachel and Kurt from the restaurant. He was whispering to her how well that she had done, and how proud he was of her.

"Good evening, Blaine. Enjoy family time," Kurt said when they'd reached the front. He moved over to try and hail a cab.

"Of course Kurt! Enjoy _Godspell_!" Blaine called back. Then he turned back to his girlfriend, who was staring at him intently.

"I love you," He whispered, kissing her cheek. She blushed furiously.

"I love you too."

"Send your dads and Shelby my best. Where were they tonight?"

"Oh, Beth wasn't feeling good, so mom decided to stay back. I'm not sure about my daddies though, they just left and said they'd meet us at the theatre," She replied, shrugging.

"Oh well, I had a good time. Grandmother and Grandfather loved you." She smiled and kissed him again, before walking to Kurt. He'd finally gotten a taxi. When they entered the cab, Rachel smiled madly at Blaine and waved. He smiled back.

Yeah, things were about to change. But as long as they had times like these every once in a while, they would be just fine. Right?

_**So next chapter! ENGLAND AGAIN! Rachel and Blaine are going to be dealing with separation! Oh dear! **_

_**ALSO! I just feel the need to point out that Beth is still Puck's daughter, but she's not Quinn's (for obvious reasons!)  
><strong>_


	23. A Whole New World

_**We're gonna meet someone that we've kind of sort of met before. You prolly know who I'm talking about. I've wanted to add them for a while, and kind of just got the idea. **_

**Chapter 23: In a Whole New World**

**Four Months Later**

The first thing that Rachel Berry noticed when she walked into her dressing room after costuming and warm ups on the night of her debut was a bouquet of red and white roses. A huge bouquet of red and white roses. She sniffed them, and showed them to Scarlett who was playing Peron's mistress and also shared a dressing room with Rachel.

"What's the card say?" Scarlett Edwards asked, going to perfect her make-up. Scarlett had done make-up for every production was involved with, and she refused to go on without doing a once over of her face, every time. She drove the make-up artists crazy every time as well, but they had to admit that the girl knew her stuff, and often did make whatever they did look better.

Rachel went through the flowers and found the tiny card, taking it with delicate hands. She was pretty sure she knew who they were from, she'd be an idiot if she thought they were from anyone else, of course.

_Break a leg, Dearest Eva. I love you. ~ Prince Charming_

"He's so sweet!" Scarlett squealed. Rachel smiled at her, but turned back to her costume. The stage manager had just called places, and she was eager to begin. West End may not be Broadway, but they were the same levels. And besides, not many actresses could say the Prince of Wales and his sons had come out just see their debut. Fewer could say that the queen had done the same. The thought added a little pressure, but it also excited her. She'd get to see Blaine tonight.

Blaine.

She'd barely seen him in the past month or so. He was always busy with his training, and she was always in rehearsal. Of course, they talked on the phone every night they were both so proud of each other but the separations were tough. Rachel hated it. She'd forgotten his scent. But she hadn't forgotten his voice… and, well, that kept her going. That, and remembering their kisses, that helped too.

"PLACES PEOPLE," The stage manager's voice boomed, "WE'RE ON IN FIVE."

* * *

><p>It'd been so long since Blaine had been to any West End Performance. His mother used to take him to see productions but after she died… well, he didn't think that he could ever go back. Despite the pain he felt for being in the Savoy Theatre (which happened to be the location of the last play he saw with his mother), he was also excited. Rachel had worked all of her life for this, and now her dream was coming true. And he would be there to see it. That made it better, especially after all their long separations.<p>

There was just one small thing he had to take care of. He'd gone straight to Clarence House after being released from Sandhurst for the weekend, and he'd never gotten the opportunity to use the restroom. So here he was, rushing to go to the private restaurant by his grandmother's box. The one time he was almost glad that he got special privileges because of his name. He ran in, took care of his business, and went out to wash his hands. It was only then that he noticed the bathroom attendant. And he looked awfully familiar.

"Blaine?" The boy asked, softly. It registered. Blaine wasn't sure if he wanted to be excited or to run.

"Hello Jeff," He said, turning to face the boy. He couldn't run now, as much as he wanted too.

"I heard that your family was coming tonight, so I had myself pegged for this restroom… I hope it's not too stalkerish, but I had to see you."

"I haven't seen you in years, Jeff. You never bothered to contact me."

"Because my parents threatened to disown me if I did!"

"So why bother now?"

"Well, they've already done it… I was… well, I got caught with another guy. So I have nothing to lose."

"Until my father realizes that you're working here," Blaine whispered, "He's here tonight, and I doubt that he's forgotten you." Jeff just shook his head.

"No one knows what happens. If he tries to start anything, he'd have to admit that something happened. And he doesn't want that."

"You thought this out, didn't you?"

"I did. I'm no fool Blaine, I've learned a lot since Dalton. But that's not why I'm here. I… well, I want to meet Rachel. And I think we should all go grab a beer or something sometime. Like, tomorrow night at the Green? David, Nick, and Trent will be there. You've met her friends, and we want her to meet yours. Please?"

"Sure." Blaine muttered.

"I'll see you then, I guess. Now go, the show's about to start."

* * *

><p>The show went well. Rachel gave her all and it showed. She was fantastic. She stuck around and chatted with the queen and the Prince and Princess of Wales, as well as Jacob, but then she and Blaine departed for a romantic weekend at the Ritz.<p>

On the ride over, they remained locked together, hands intertwined. Rachel rested her head on Blaine shoulder, and when she looked up to see the (now) familiar London view, Blaine would kiss her passionately. Driver be damned. He wanted his Rachel, and he wanted her now.

When they made it to the suite, they could hardly keep their hands off of each other. This ended with an intense make-out session, but no sex. Rachel wanted to wait, and Blaine accepted and respected that. Besides, he didn't need her getting pregnant before they got married because scandal wasn't an option right now. Rachel had yet to see what happened what the press were like in full blown borderline stalker mode, and Blaine wanted to keep it that way as long as possible.

A couple of hours later, they sat on the couch, entangled with each other watching _Easy A_. Well, not really watching. They were more focused on each other, and kissing, even though both of their mouths were covered in the chocolate from the hotel. Rachel was going to gain so much weight from this weekend, but she didn't care much. The same could be said for her prince, who had been working out extra to keep himself fit for Sandhurst. Rachel was worth it.

"I love you, Rachel." Blaine whispered, kissing her hair. Thoughts of Jeff kept popping into his mind. He hadn't mentioned the encounter to Rachel yet. He was planning on doing that before bed.

"I love you too," She replied, sleepily. The day was really starting to take its toll. She was tired.

They were silent a few more minutes, letting the movie end. Both were too lazy to move. They were simply too comfortable. Rachel was slowly falling asleep on Blaine's chest. Blaine knew it was now to do it, she was too tired to kill him.

"So I ran into someone today…" He said. She didn't look up, she just nodded into his chest.

"Who?" She whispered.

"Jeff. Jeff Sterling."

"From Dalton?"

"Yes." Rachel had slightly woken up now. She'd never thought she'd have to deal with Blaine old flame. Apparently, she was wrong.

"What about him?"

"Well… he… and David, and Trent, and Thad- all the boys from Dalton- want to go out for beers tomorrow night after the show. And I said yes. But we don't have to go if you don't want too…"

"We'll go. I've always been curious about your friends from Dalton." She replied, shortly. She wanted to meet Jeff. As much as the thought of meeting him scared her, the though of meeting the boy from the story also intrigued her.

"Are you sure."

"Mhm." He kissed the side of her forehead. He was excited to see all of his old friends. Even Jeff.

"You're amazing, Rach. I love you."

"Yeah yeah," She mumbled, "Love you too. Now shut up and go to sleep."

**_I'm not sure how long Jeff and the Dalton boys will stick around, but get used to Scarlett. She's going to be around for a while, and she's going to play a huge role later on. _**

**_NEXT UP, Drinks with the boys. And Kurt and Jacob!_**


	24. And On It Goes

_**So I figured out how Jeff is going to play in this story, and that's great, because it's filling a role I wasn't exactly sure how it was going to be filled. I really hate to shift him into this role, but it has to be done. You'll get what I mean in this chapter, or at least an idea of it. **_

_**Oh my goodness. I didn't realize how long it had been! I'M SO SORRY. However, I have started a Demon!Blaine Blainchel series on tumblr. There's just one part left (maybe two) but you should check it out. It's called Twisted. Tu-nes-pas-seule (dot) tumblr (dot) com :D**_

**Chapter 24: And On It Goes**

Jeff Sterling had a plan. He was broke. He was tired of being broke. And he wanted to prove to his parents that being gay wouldn't hinder his social standing. They'd be begging to take him back once word got out that he was dating the future king.

There was one problem, though. It was a problem he'd have to solve as soon as possible, with any means possible. That problem was Rachel Berry. Now, Jeff was sure that she was perfectly nice… and that she'd be perfectly fine somewhere else. But she wasn't royal. She didn't have the blood. She didn't belong. He would have to fix this. Gay or not, disowned or not, Jeff had the blood. He belonged. He could be king or prince or whatever someday. He was determined. He would succeed. He and Blaine were meant to be.

And he'd do anything to make that happen.

* * *

><p>Rachel was amused that Blaine couldn't keep his eyes off of her as his security drove them to the bar. She'd gone back to her apartment after the play and picked out the sexiest black dress that she could get away with, and evidently it had her desired affect. Blaine couldn't keep his eyes, or hands, off of her. She honestly couldn't complain. She knew that Blaine needed his friends, but that didn't mean she was excited about tonight. What amused Blaine was that Rachel was clearly marking her territory. He couldn't complain. She looked hot. Really hot. Really, really, hot.<p>

"Hey Rach," He said, reaching over to take her hand, "Don't be nervous. They're really nice. And if they're not, we'll leave. Promise."

"I'm really not worried," She lied. He shook his head.

"Stop lying to me, Rachel."

"What makes you think that I'm lying?"

"We've been together for four years. Do you really think that I don't know you well enough to tell when you're lying?"

"Not even Kurt can tell when I'm lying!"

"Speaking of. When are you going to pick him up tomorrow?"

"Right after you leave, I'm going to pick up Scarlett and then we're going to Heathrow."

Blaine nodded and smiled. He knew how much Rachel missed Kurt. Having him come for the summer was a great idea. She looked forward to Kurt's company since Blaine wasn't really around.

"Jacob's gonna want to see Kurt, y'know."

"I'm aware. Kurt said Jacob's already called him. They're going clubbing on Friday."

"I detect another royal fling in the making!"

"We are more than a fling, Blaine Warbler." He grinned and kissed her.

"Of course, Rachel. I'm Prince Charming, and you're my Cinderella." Rachel sighed and grabbed his hand. They had finally arrived at the bar, and her nerves were settling back in.

"Come on," Blaine said. He was flashing his "prince" smile to make her feel better. It always worked. Even now, "It's now or never."

* * *

><p>"So we're meeting the future princess-in-waiting tonight?" David Thompson asked, taking a sip of her beer. Jeff Sterling nodded enthusiastically. They didn't know of his plan. They couldn't. They were his friends, but he knew that they wouldn't try to do something like that to Blaine. He honestly couldn't blame them.<p>

"They're not engaged yet?" Nick Duval retorted, "Haven't they been dating for like, ten years?"

"More like four." All of the guys- David, Nick, Trent, Thad and Jeff- smiled at their friend but then set their eyes on the girl on his arm. Her hair was pulled back, she was wearing a slick black dress and she looked… amazing. Hot.

"Hey Blaine!" David said, snapping the Dalton grads out of their thoughts, "It's great to see you again."

"You too, guys," Blaine replied, "And this is Rachel Berry."

"Hey Rachel, I'm Nick. I'm sure you've heard of me." Rachel grinned.

"Once or twice," she said. Jeff studied her. She was a lot prettier in person than she was in the tabloids, but that could just be because anyone would look fantastic in what she was wearing. Of course, he knew that she still looked outstanding in the tabloids so he got no consolation from that.

"How's West End?" Trent asked. Rachel smiled, as if in a daze.

"It's everything I've ever dreamed of!"

"Jeff says that you're perfect in the role," Thad commented. They all look over to Jeff, who just shrugs.

"You're really good," He said, "Better than Alana was, anyways."

"Thank you. I'm glad you enjoy me, but it's only my second performance. I'm bound to mess up sometime."

"Maybe it'll be next Saturday, when we come to see you!" David remarked, smiling. Rachel sighed.

"Will I ever live it down if I do?"

"Probably not." Trent replied.

As the night continued, Jeff studied both Rachel and Blaine. They seemed so in sync, so together that it almost hurt that he was going to break them up. But it had to be done. He had so much to prove, and it depended on Blaine coming back to him.

What he didn't realize is that Rachel was studying him the whole night. And she did not like what she saw. She could see the looks that Jeff kept sending Blaine, and it made her cling to Blaine much more. Blaine thought her clinginess was amusing, but that was only because he was too busy speaking with David to realize what was happening, and she was fine with him being unaware. For now.

* * *

><p>It was Friday. Rachel had gone to the theatre, and now Jacob had planned on taking Kurt to Mahiki as his welcoming present. However, that changed when Jacob arrived at his future sister-in-law's flat and discovered that Rachel's new roommate was sick.<p>

"I'm so sorry, Jacob," Kurt said, "It's my throat. I think I worked a little too hard at the end of the year. Wanted to leave Julliard with a bang, you know? You should probably go…" Jacob studied Kurt. He looked absolutely miserable, wrapped up in a blanket and wearing sweat pants, which Jacob didn't even know that Kurt had owned.

"Why don't we stay here," The prince suggested, "We could watch a movie or something…" Kurt considered this for a second and then nodded.

"Okay, but no musicals. I don't want to be tempted to sing along."

"Musicals are Blaine's thing, Kurt," Jacob replied with a grin, "I'm an entirely different prince."

* * *

><p>Jacob opened his eyes slowly; realizing the end of the fourth <em>Harry Potter<em> movie was playing. Beside him, Kurt was asleep soundly. Jacob was really thirsty, but he was a bit intrigued by sleeping Kurt. So he stayed for a second to watch him sleep. After a second, though, he decided that if he was quiet he wouldn't wake Kurt up, and could get some water and then watch Kurt sleep some more.

The plan almost worked.

Jacob made it to the kitchen without making a sound, and he knew Rachel's kitchen like the back of his hand, so he wasn't too concerned about switching on the lights. Of course, neither Rachel nor Kurt had mentioned that they had moved the waters. So he decided to just grab a glass and get some tap water just to be done with it. He would probably have to leave soon, just so the paparazzi wouldn't get any ideas, and he wanted to make sure Kurt was okay before he left.

He hadn't counted on dropping the glass.

"SHIT!" Jacob yelled. It wasn't the glass that bothered him, he could handle that no problem, but he knew that Kurt was now awake because there were various lights turning on in the apartment.

"Are you alright?" Kurt asked. His voice sounded better, but still really scratchy.

"Yeah," Jacob replied. He had almost all of the glass sweeped away at this point, he was just looking for tiny pieces that he might have missed.

"Water?" Kurt asked after a moment, a grin spreading on his face.

"Please." Kurt walked to the fridge and grabbed the waters out of their new place, and Jacob rolled his eyes.

"Sorry about that," Jacob mumbled after a few moments.

"No problem at all. Rachel won't notice- she's hardly ever here anyways."

"How is she? I haven't seen her in nearly a week!"

"She's worried," Kurt whispered.

"About?"

"How… close were Jeff and Blaine?" Jacob nodded in understanding, before thinking about it for just a moment.

"They were pretty close."

"How well did you know Jeff?"

"He was a great guy. Ambitious, yes, but we all knew that Blaine's title never meant much to him…" Jacob paused, thinking, "Has he done anything?"

"Rachel said that Jeff was checking Blaine out pretty much the entire time they were out the other night. And I know that she trusts Blaine, but she doesn't trust Jeff not try anything. It's gotten her really over the edge, especially with Blaine at Sandhurst all the time."

"If there's one couple that could stand the test of time," Jacob replied, "It's Blaine and Rachel. Don't worry about it too much, Kurt. Tell her not to as well. I'll keep an eye on Blaine, and Jeff for that matter. If Blaine starts to stray… well then I'll kick him in the face for how crazy he's being."

"Thank you so much, Jacob. That means a lot to both me and Rachel. I can't bear the thought of her going into another depression." Jacob smiled at Kurt and grabbed his hand.

"I would do anything for Rachel, Kurt," He said, "And I'd also do anything for you."


	25. Beginning to Spiral

**Chapter 21: Beginning to Spiral**

**One Month Later **

Jeff watched as Rachel and Blaine danced to Bruno Mars' "Just the Way You Are." David was close to them with Clarissa, a girl who he had just met but the prince and his girlfriend stole the show at Mahiki that night. They came nearly every Saturday and Friday nights as a group, and occasionally Rachel's brother would join. Like tonight, though he and the other prince were off somewhere. He was curious about that, and briefly wondered if he was chasing the wrong prince. But, it was too late for second thoughts.

"You look… lonely," A smooth French accent said behind him. Jeff just shrugged. He wasn't looking at the guy behind him, but he could tell that his eyes were fixed on the prince and his girlfriend, dancing as if no one else mattered.

"Not at all," Jeff replied. He finally took a moment to look at his new friend. He was nice to look at. And if he was at Mahiki, he was loaded too. Or he was a freeloader, just like Jeff was at the moment. Because he knew he wouldn't be here without monetary donations from his friends. He'd pay them back soon.

"I'm Sebastian," the French said, "But you, my friend, can call me Seb."

"Jeff Sterling," Jeff replied, shaking Sebastian's hand.

"Do you like the prince?"

"We go back." Sebastian considered this, and smiled.

"Not a fan of the Berry girl, are you?"

"No, not really."

"And you want the prince for yourself?"

"Maybe."

"Is he like that? Does he like boys?" Sebastian was cautious, but he asked. Jeff shrugged and considered his answer. He couldn't out Blaine, and he wasn't sure if he could trust Sebastian. He could just be a reporter in disguise. It wouldn't be the first time that Jeff had run into an undercover reporter while out with his friends, and he would never do it again. He knew to watch what he said, lest it be taken and spun around to sell newspaper.

"I don't think so," the blonde whispered, defeated. He was beginning to wonder if this was hopeless. They'd been doing this for a month, and Jeff never got in more than a few words with Blaine before Rachel intervened. Jeff was sure that she knew. They'd been cordial the few times that they actually interacted, but it was obvious that there was friction between them. Everyone just assumed it was because of Jeff's past relations with Rachel's boyfriend and that it would go away at some point, but he knew otherwise.

If only he could get Blaine away- a night without Rachel. They usually came after her shows, everyone meeting up around 11. It worked. Rachel was always energized and ready to party. But Jeff knew that eventually, she'd be so tired that she'd have to take a night off. And maybe Blaine would come anyways. He hoped so.

* * *

><p>A week later, Blaine brought his girlfriend a cup of hot tea while she sat on the couch with her brother. Her show had gone well, but when Blaine had met her backstage she had been complaining to Scarlett that her throat was hurting. Immediately Blaine suggested having her understudy go on for her tomorrow, and Rachel was considering it. But she had no intention on having an understudy go on if she spent the night partying, and not trying to get well. So she insisted that he take her home, and then he could go out if he wanted. Rachel wasn't sure if she was okay with Blaine being around Jeff without her, but she trusted her boyfriend. She had enough faith in him not to stray. They had started dated four years ago and not four weeks ago. She knew him well enough to think that he wouldn't cheat.<p>

Anyways, Blaine had refused. He came every weekend to see her, not his friends from Dalton Academy. He figured a nice night with Rachel and Kurt would be enjoyable, especially if they watched a movie. He was honestly a little tired of all the partying. He could tell that Rachel felt guilty, though.

"Thank you," She said, taking the tea. Her voice sounded a little off. He pressed his lips to her forehead. She felt like might have had a slight fever, but it didn't seem like he should be worried about it unless it got any worse.

"It's no problem, Rach," He replied, smiling. "I like taking care of you. I think this is only the second time I've ever seen you sick." Rachel smiled and he kissed her forehead lightly again. She didn't object.

"Are you sure you don't want to go out, Blaine?" She asked, "Kurt's here. And didn't you say that you and David had something to talk about?"

"I can meet up with David on my way out of town tomorrow. I'd rather be here with you, love."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." Rachel grinned, and Blaine took her into his arms. This was the best she'd felt in a while. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy clubbing with Blaine's friends, but it was a bit exhausting to do so every week. And she knew she could simply opt out of going every once and a while, but if Blaine went on his own then she didn't trust Jeff not to do anything. Besides, she never really got to see Blaine any more. She'd take any time with him that she could get.

"I love you," She whispered to him, looking up.

"I love you, too," He said, leaning down to kiss her. They heard Kurt scoff in mock disgust.

"I'm going to bed if there's going to be a bunch of PDA out here."

"Call Jacob," Blaine replied, grinning. Kurt tried to hide the blush on his cheeks, "I'm sure he'd love to hear from you."

"Be nice," Rachel scolded, laughing.

"I just know that my brother talks about your brother all of the time… and your brother talks about my brother all the time… so…"

"Rachel, would you be angry if I hurt your boyfriend?" Kurt asked, smiling. Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Yes." Blaine stuck his tongue out at Kurt, but Rachel give him a bitch-glare, "But I'll hurt him if he's not nice to my brother."

"I suddenly don't feel safe anymore…" Blaine said, shrugging.

"You deserved it," Kurt replied, grinning, "But it's okay. Rachel doesn't have it in her to hurt you. She loves you too much."

"And I love her with all of my heart," the prince whispered, leaning forward and crushing his lips with Rachel.

* * *

><p>"Where's Blaine?" Trent asked, taking a sip of his drink.<p>

"Rachel's sick," David replied. Jeff, who had been with Sebastian and was hardly listening, quickly shooed his new friend away to listen. The gesture did not go unnoticed by Trent, who said nothing, even if he was now a bit suspicious.

"Is she alright?" Jeff asked, ignoring the looks he was now receiving from across the table. He couldn't let off that anything was wrong or different, because he didn't plan on being caught and cut from the group. Then he'd have no chance.

"Yeah. But Blaine is staying with her and Kurt to watch a movie or something. I'm meeting him for coffee in the morning, after he takes Rachel to the theatre."

"Do you mind if I come? " Jeff asked, quickly. "I've hardly seen Blaine at all. I just wanted to spend some time with my best friend…" Both David and Trent gave him looks, but David nodded.

"Fine. You'd better behave."

"I promise I will."

Inside, Jeff was cheering. Blaine. Without Rachel. This could be perfect. If he worked things right. And well, he'd better start planning.


	26. Breaking Apart

_**A/N: I didn't even realize how close to the end we are. At most, there's five chapters left. **_

**Chapter 26: Breaking Apart**

**One Month Later**

Rachel urged her phone to ring. Something, please. Ever since Blaine and Jeff and David had gone for coffee last month, Blaine had become distant. Even when they went out clubbing together, he seemed to be gravitating more towards his ex. Rachel was fine with it- he still paid plenty of attention to her, and she didn't want to be _that _girlfriend. As time went on, he spent less and less time with her. Still enough to keep her from complaining, but it was getting ridiculous. But now, this week, he hadn't even called her like he usually did. He wasn't at the show. And this worried Rachel. She knew there was a possibility that he had been detained at Sandhurst, but he usually found some way of contacting her so she wouldn't worry.

She and Kurt sat in their apartment, having a Barbra-thon. They were watching her favorite, _Funny Girl_. And Barbra was killing _Don't Rain on My Parade_. Even though nothing changed, it always seemed to get better with every time Rachel watched it. She buried her head on Kurt's shoulder, having just checked the clock again. 12:30 am. She'd need to go to bed soon, but she kept hoping Blaine would show up.

"Go to bed, boo," Kurt whispered, "You have an early show in the morning. And Eva needs her rest. If Blaine comes in, I'll send him in with you. Okay?" Rachel yawned and nodded. She got up slowly, and made her way to her room. She tossed and turned for a good hour, but she finally got to sleep.

* * *

><p>She woke up, hearing movement in the living room. Dazed and tired, she checked the clock. 4:30 am. Were they being burglarized? She grabbed the knife she kept in her nightstand and crept into the room. The refrigerator was open; she could see its light from over the counter. Rachel's grip on the knife tightened, and the refrigerator closed. She could see the silhouette. And she knew it.<p>

"Blaine?" She whispered, "What the hell are you doing?"

"Hungry," Blaine replied, "Giiiiive me some food, Rachel!"

"Where have you been?"

"With David. And Thad. And Jeff." Rachel narrowed her eyes. She should have known. This was total ludicrous.

"And you were going to call me when…?"

"Jeff took my cell phone." Rachel didn't really mean to get angry. She hadn't planned on it. But it was 4:30 in the morning, he hadn't bothered to call her, and he had been with his ex-boyfriend. This wasn't cool.

"Get out," she hissed.

"What… why?"

"Get out of my apartment. Now."

"But… but… baby…"

"GET OUT, BLAINE. PLEASE!" She exclaimed, tears streaming down her face. She heard the door to the other bedroom open, and she felt Kurt's arms wrap around her. She knew that she was just giving up- but she had seen this before. It had happened between her, Blaine, and Wes. The only difference was the romantic background between Jeff and Blaine. And Rachel really wanted to keep fighting, she did. But she knew what Wes went threw, and she was afraid. Afraid she'd have nothing left in the end. Afraid that Jacob would no longer want to talk to Kurt (and if she couldn't be happy, she'd be damned if her brother couldn't be). And she hoped that if she let him go, let him make his mistakes… he'd come back to her. She hoped. Because she knew that what she and Blaine had was true love, and as much as Jeff may be trying to change that… he would never succeed. And maybe she was wrong, but if she was… well, then she'd done the right thing. At least Blaine could be happy, even if she wasn't. The thought of going back to Finn or someone like him (good looking, sure, but not that bright…) disgusted her.

"What's going on?" Kurt asked, glaring at Blaine.

"Find out what your sister's problem is, would ya, Kurt?"

"What the hell, Blaine?" Rachel's brother snapped, "Rachel has every right to be upset! And I believe she asked you to leave!"

"What if I don't want to?"

"Well then I'm sure the paparazzi would love to hear about the golden prince having the police called on him!"

"What are they going to do, Kurt? I'm the queen's grandson! They won't do anything. And you know it!"

"JUST GET OUT!" Rachel shouted, "PLEASE, BLAINE. PLEASE."

"I'm not going until you told tell me why, Rach. I freaking love you! I'd like to know why you're kicking me out of this apartment."

"Because, Blaine, isn't it obvious what's happening? Jeff has been trying to steal you since day one! And the worst part is… you're letting him!"

"I'm not letting him do anything, Rachel! It's not my fault that I evidently have a jealous girlfriend!"

"IF YOU DIDN'T WANT A JEALOUS GIRLFRIEND THEN YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE KISSED ME ON THAT DAMN STAGE, BLAINE."

"Why are you yelling at me?" Blaine asked, genuinely confused, "I love you, baby. I really do."

"Well if you love me then, you'll get out and give me some time, Blaine. I love you too… but… this is just too much right now."

"Okay, Rach. But… I haven't given up on us. I'll always be there for you."

He was gone in a second. Rachel leaned into Kurt, sobbing. He tried to sooth her, but it didn't really work. She kept sobbing.

"I'm leaving!" She said quickly, "I'm going back to New York… and then I'm gonna get on Broadway, I swear!"

"Don't leave, Rach," Kurt replied, "You can't. The press is involved too, sweetie. And once word of this gets out about this, they're gonna do anything imaginable to get a reaction from you. Keep strong, and show them that you're Rachel Barbra Berry, and you don't need a man to help you." Rachel considered what he said for just a minute, and nodded.

"Because I don't. I'm too fierce to let a man- especially a prince- get me down. But I'm gonna need your help."

"I'll be here whenever you need me, sweetie."

_**This was really, really hard for me to write. Don't worry. This is a happy story, remember? **_


	27. Rising Starlet

_**This chapter will mainly follow Rachel six months later, and then the next chapter will follow Blaine at the same time. The other might make minor, minor appearances, but that's about it. There's really not that much dialogue in this chapter, either. At least at first. Sorry about that. **_

_**Also, if you'll remember, in chapter 18, I mentioned a Jacqueline character that Jacob was attached to. Originally, she was a love interest. However, since I'm moving down the road of KurtxJacob, I haven't really elaborated on her. Well, this really bugged me. So when this chapter gets off course later on, you'll know why.**_

**Chapter 27: Rising Starlet **

**Six Months Later**

She'd only heard from him once in six months, and it was so he could get a few things out of her apartment. She purposely told him to go when she was at the theatre, since she knew that if she saw him she'd run into his arms and tell him to forget everything. And she couldn't do that. She was making a point, and she intended on sticking to it. So Kurt was there when Blaine got his stuff, and Rachel was at the theatre, sitting in her dressing room, thinking about the past few years.

Time went by very slowly. Once the paparazzi found out, and it hadn't taken long for that to happen, Rachel's life became hell. They followed her more than ever, trying to get a shot of her cracking- just as Kurt had predicted. She never did though, in fact she held strong. In the first month and a half, Rachel would remain strong outside but when she came in, she'd break down. Kurt would hold her; remind her why she was doing this. Finally, she got used to it and worked it to the advantage. There was always a picture of her on the front page of some tabloid, partying. Enjoying life. Then Finn came along.

Finn had initially waited in New York patiently, waiting for Rachel to come home. When he realized that she wasn't going to, he flew straight to London. He and Mercedes came together, sharing an apartment together. Mercedes had gotten a job in London, working costumes and serving as an understudy for one of the other theatres in London. Finn got a job at a car garage, and he was happy. Especially because Rachel had willingly come back to him. Sure, most people would call it a rebound, but he was content. He knew he could make her love him, if he worked at it. And he did. He even sang her his own rendition of Billy Joel's "Uptown Girl." She had appeared to love it, and she even let him stay the night, something that she rarely did. It might have been raining cats and dogs outside, but the gesture had still been there.

When word had gotten out that Rachel and Finn were dating, Rachel hoped that it would spark some type of emotion in Blaine to come and get her back. She'd go to him willingly. It wasn't fair to Finn, but he had to know that this would happen. He wasn't very bright, but he also wasn't a complete idiot. It helped ease the guilt, for sure. He just had to know that if Blaine came back, she'd be gone in an instant. It was his fault for agreeing to be her rebound. Not hers for actually breaking his heart. He still Marcie back in New York anyways, and it seemed like they were destined to be together, anyways. Finn would realize it sooner or later. And it wasn't like she was chasing Blaine for his money, or his power, or his throne. She didn't care about that, honestly. She just loved him too much. She knew that he'd said that he'd always be there when she came back, but she wasn't doing that. He had to come back to her. It was pride, yes. She had to know that he needed her as much as she needed him.

Rachel's hopes about the tabloids had proven to be accurate, seeing as Blaine had thrown a fit around Clarence House when Jake showed him a picture of Finn and Rachel kissing on the front page of one of the UK's more popular publications. Jeff had been there the whole time, and it had taken three hours, but he did manage to calm the prince down. Jacob had promptly feigned illness and refused to go clubbing that night and then immediately called Kurt to share with him.

"He's a mess, Kurt," Jacob had said, "And I don't think he's gonna hold out much longer."

"Well, I hope he comes to his senses sooner, then." Kurt

"Me too. When we were in Paris last month, I really couldn't go see Jacqueline because I thought he'd break something if I left him alone. I saw her for all but five minutes."

"How is Jacqueline?" Kurt asked, curiously. He had always wanted to meet the little girl, though she figured she was much older than Jacob made her to be.

"Her surgery is next week… the doctors say it could go either way. I'm trying to get out there to see her before she goes under the knife… just in case…" Kurt could tell that Jacob was upset. In the summers that followed his mother's death, he made a point to go visit children in the cancer ward at least once while he was in France. At one of the hospitals, when he was 10, he met a little girl with brain cancer. She was no older than five. He started going to see her more and more often. Her innate sense of knowledge of life when it came to her illness drew him to her. She was so wise, and it reminded of her mother. When she turned 13, she had apparently gone into remission. A true miracle. However, when she had her check up last year, it had come back. Worse than before. She wasn't given long, and the fact that she was still alive baffled doctors. It was mainly because Jacob was making sure she was given the best doctors and care possible, but he knew her time was running out.

"I'm sorry, Jacob," Kurt whispered, "I really am."

"It's okay. Worst comes to worst… she'll be outta pain. And well… that's all I've wanted for her ever since I met her."

"If you do go… can I come? Please?"

"I'd love that," Jacob murmured. It was silent for a few moments; neither knew just what to say.

"How's Rachel?" Jacob finally asked. He was curious. He loved Rachel, and he wanted for her to get back with his brother. He didn't like Jeff. He could see all of Jeff's ambitions, and they really irked him. He didn't deserve Blaine, and it hurt that Blaine couldn't see that.

"She's good," Kurt replied, "Throwing herself into the play, as always."

"We should all go out to Purple this weekend. Just us. Her, me, and you. No Finn, no Blaine. No Jeff."

"That sounds great. I'll see you then."

"Bye Kurt. Tell Rachel I said hello."

"Of course. Buh-bye now." Kurt smiled, hanging up the phone. Rachel and Finn walked in two seconds later, carrying a few groceries.

"Who was that?" Rachel asked, silently indicating for Finn to put something up where she couldn't reach. He did so with no argument, and then helped her put up a few more things.

"Jacob. He says hello," Rachel looked over at him with happiness. She was glad that Kurt and Jacob were still friends, and that they were moving towards becoming a couple. They both deserved it.

"Oh, well, that's great. Did he have anything interesting to say?"

"We're going to Purple this weekend," Kurt declared, that tone of finality in his voice.

"Sweet," Finn exclaimed, "I liked Purple last time we were there." Kurt rolled his eyes.

"Not you, Finn," he said, "Just me, Jacob, and my sister. No one else." Finn groaned in annoyance.

"That's fine with me," Rachel replied, ignoring her boyfriend's childish pouts, "I have an outfit just for the occasion." Kurt smiled, his sister was coming back.


	28. Purple

Chapter 28: Purple

"I don't get why you're going out when I need you, Jacob!" Blaine complained, watching as his younger brother put on his clubbing clothes. Jacob looked at the broken little Blaine in front of him and sighed.

"So you went to Jeff's to make things... official with him... and he was in bedwith that Sebastian fellow?"

"Yes," Blaine said. He looked like a pathetic little puppy- Jacob couldn't help but take pity. He was going to regret this, Kurt would more than likely be angry. But... Blaine was his brother.

"Get dressed," Jacob ordered, "We're leaving in thirty."

"Where are we going?"

"You're going to apologize to Rachel."

"Where? Why are you seeing Rachel?" Blaine asked, suspiciously.

"We're going to Purple. Me, her, and Kurt," Jake replied, simply, "Now if you want to go, I'd suggest you'd hurry up and get dressed." Blaine nodded, and ran from the room. He was getting Rachel back tonight. He was sure of it.

* * *

><p>Rachel and Kurt scanned Purple, looking for some sort of clue that Jacob was there. Finn was severely pissed that Rachel would be gone for the evening and Rachel was still a little tense, despite Kurt's pleas for her to suck it up and try to forget about her boyfriend.<p>

"I'm going to get some patron," Kurt announced to a disgruntled Rachel. She hadn't left her seat, she felt bad for upsetting Finn. Maybe she was only with him to make Blaine jealous, and he was foolish for not seeing it, but he was sweet. He was really trying to convince her that he was as good as Blaine.

Kurt stood and went to get his alcohol. Rachel stared around for a few minutes, trying to find someone to talk to or something. She desperately wished Jake would hurry up and arrive. Kind of. He and Kurt were always careful not to make her feel like a third wheel, but she wasn't really sure why Jake wanted her to come with him and Kurt so badly.

"May I have this dance?" A towering voice asked her. She stared up at Blaine and glared at him. It was fake, and he'd probably see right through it, but it worked for now.

"I have a boyfriend," She replied, shortly. He sat next to her and put his hand on top of hers.

"I think we both know how untrue that is, Rachel." He replied, smiling at her, "Finn may be your tabloid boyfriend but we both know that you'd rather it be me. Am I right?"

"He takes care of me," Rachel answered, "He doesn't go after his ex-girlfriend shamelessly."

"I'm sorry," the prince whispered, "I really, really screwed up..." He sighed, shaking his head. "I don't want you to take me back, Rachel. Not if you don't want me too. But I hope you can forgive me. I don't deserve it, and I'm not expecting it... but I'm a dreamer." He grinned and laughed. Rachel tried not to fall for his spell. It was so hard. She loved him, she loved him, oh God did she love him...

"I forgive you," She said, trying to find words. She sighed, placing her head in her hands.

"I still love you," He admitted. She looked up at him, smiling.

"I love you, too."

"Can I kiss you now?" He asked. She had to laugh. He looked like an over-excited puppy. It was so adorable. And she'd missed it so, so much. She'd missed him so, so much.

"No," She said, sadly. She wanted too, but she knew she couldn't. His expression turned sad. Like someone had kicked this puppy version of him. Why in the world had she done that? He'd looked so cute a moment ago.

"Why not?"

"Because I have a boyfriend," She said, sadly. "And I may not be dating him for the wrong reasons, but I think I owe him enough to be faithful to him. I think you can wait a few hours." He smiled.

"You're so wise and beautiful, Rachel. One day, I want you to be my queen." She smiled, running her thumb through his hair. It was now greasy, but she didn't really care.

"You don't need a queen, Blaine. I... don't know if I could be a queen. I just know you'll be a great king." He shook his head.

"You were never born for normal. One day, we're gonna get married and you're going to be a princess. My princess. You always were and you always will be. The people love you like they loved my mother. I love you like I loved my mother. It would be nonsense if I didn't marry you." SHe smiled.

"I'd be okay if I could just be Mrs. Blaine Warbler." He beamed, taking her hand once again.

"I'd be okay with that, too."

* * *

><p>The last few days had been a whirlwind. Rachel respectfully ended things with Finn and apologized. He went back to America, disgruntled. Mercedes stayed, however. She had received an offer to originate a Role on West End, and she had no intentions on turning it down.<p>

Blaine and Rachel spent days locked up in their apartment, planning, reminiscing, and just spending time together. Kurt stayed with Mercedes those few days, though he spent much of his time with Jacob. He just wanted to give his sister a few days peace with her boyfriend. He could smell an engagement coming, and he was really hurrying it along as much as he could.

"Do you think Blaine and Rachel are going to get engaged soon?" He asked Jake one day. Rachel wouldn't tell him anything, so he hoped Jake would know something he didn't.

"Blaine asked me for our mum's engagement ring," Jake replied, looking serious,

"It was one of the only possessions of our mother that I took when she died, but I gave it to him willingly. Rachel is the only other person I think should wear it." Kurt smiled, standing next to him. Whatever he and Jake had would have to end soon, since they would be brother-in-laws. But they still had a while.

"When?" He whispered.

"My guess, their trip to Africa next week."


	29. Proposal

**Chapter 29: Proposal**

Rachel had never really realized the beauty there was in Africa. She'd never really given it second thought. Why should she? All that you really hear about in Africa is death and rape and AIDS. That was the problem with modern media. They talked about the bad non-stop, but rarely about the good. Africa was just a place full of evil to the media. But Rachel knew the truth now. Blaine knew the truth all along. She was so happy he was showing it to her.

They were staying in Kenya. Blaine loved it here. He said his happier memories were staying at the very cabin that they were at now with his mother. Being so close to nature, no electricity, pretending for a few days that he was not a prince, he was just a simple boy with his mum, his brother, and his dad. That held dear memories in his heart. The last time he had been there was a few weeks before his mother had died. They'd sat on the veranda and watched the local animals- elephants, hyenas, leopards- do as they did. Blaine had cried when they had to leave, and just a month later, Margaret was dead.

Blaine wanted to make this special. He wanted to make this a proposal worthy of Miss Rachel Barbara Berry. But that didn't mean he wanted this dramatic soap-opera type proposal, because that would be what was expected. So he brought her here. And it seemed to work, she seemed enchanted by her surroundings. He wanted everything to be perfect. It was all planned.

***  
>"I'm not sure if he's going to propose, Kurt," Rachel said over the phone. Blaine was out talking with the owner of the lodge, and Rachel wanted to confide in her brother. It tough, there wasn't great reception but she didn't mind. She had to keep tabs on her understudy- she'd moved on from Evita to playing Maria in West Side Story, and she wanted to make sure no one was after her role in case nothing happened this weekend.<p>

"It's all over... everywhere," Kurt replied, surfing the web on his Laptop, "Perez Hilton says it's on, as do numerous UK Tabloids."

"If I lived life by what the tabloids said, we never would have made it this far," Rachel whispered, shrugging. She could hear Kurt smile through the telephone.

"It's bound to happen," Kurt answered, not sharing the news Jacob had given him the last time they had met. He also didn't mention that he had called Hiram and Leroy Berry visted , and he'd asked their permission to ask for her hand. No, she'd know soon rnough. "If not this time then next. Don't worry about it."

"I know, I know," she whined.

"Patience, sister," Kurt instruced through the phone, "Enjoy Africa. I'll see you Friday."

"Bye, Kurt."

"Bye, Rach."

***

"It's all set," Blaine said on the phone, "Everything. "

"So tonight then?" The younger prince asked, curiously.

"Yes. I'll propose tonight, we'll have tomorrow to relax and talk, and come home Friday, and then announce the engagement Monday morning."

"Don't get to far ahead of yourself. She still might say no," Jacob teased, slightly.

"Both she and I know this is coming. I don't think she will, but if she does then I can wait until she's ready. I can't ask her to give up her career before she's ready to give it up. It's not fair. I hate that she has to do that in the first place, but grandmother will go insane if she doesn't."

"As will Juli."

"I could care less about what Juli says," Blaine replied, rolling his eyes.

"I don't blame you," Jacob said, smiling. He was glad this was finally happening. They deserved it. He really, really hoped Rachel said yes. She was already a sister to him, and that would take a lot of pressure off of the entire royal family. Michael was already bugging Blaine to get engaged or to leave her, but Blaine refused to do it before he was ready and before he thought she was ready.

"I'll call you either tomorrow or tonight and tell you how it goes."

"Alright. Goodnight, Blaine. Good luck."

"Goodnight, Jake. I'll talk to you soon."

***

There was a roaring fire in the background. There was a bottle of champagne, half full while its former contents sat in two glasses. The young royal couple sat next to the fire, sharing lazy kisses and snuggling. The time was near. Blaine put his hand over his pocket, making sure for the millionth time that his mother's ring was still there. Satisfied, he looked at Rachel. She was so beautiful. He couldn't wait for her to be his wife.

"Rachel," He said, staring deep into her eyes. She smiled at him, and that gave him a huge confidence burst, "Rachel... will you... do me the honor... of becoming Mrs. Warbler?" That was the hardest thing he'd ever asked of anyone. He knew that she knew what challenges would be ahead, but he also knew that she was up for it. The people of Britain loved her almost as much as he did, they'd behind her no matter what. And so would he.

Rachel knew this was coming. It was hard not too. But still, she was shocked. Didn't know what to say. She smiled at him again and closed her eyes. How hard was it to say yes? Finally... it came. Escaped her lips.

"Yes," She said, "YES. YES. YES."

Blaine couldn't help it. He kissed her. Tears of happiness flowed from his eyes. Finally, after so many years... they'd made it. They were going to be married. He'd be given his own dukedom, more than likely. And she would be his duchess. That part didn't matter much to him, but the thought was still nice.

There was no man alive that was happier than one Blaine Wales.

And there was no woman alive happier than one Rachel Barbra Berry.


End file.
